


Just a Ride

by SVII



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fate & Destiny, Psychological Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 13:40:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4789307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SVII/pseuds/SVII
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her longing for the strongest being in the universe was so uncontrollable that she moved across the world to ease her twisted thoughts. Upon her arrival back to Capsule Corp. she decided that if she couldn't have the father, then the son would have to do. Goku/Bulla/Goten</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introductions

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**Just a Ride**

_Chapter 1: Introductions_

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She could feel the uneasy fluttering in her stomach as the taxi pulled up to the Capsule Corps. front gate. After a year in the States she imagined that she wouldn't feel anything other than relief to be home. It wasn't that she disliked her family, it was just that sometime during adolescence she realized that she wasn't like _them._

She was a disappointment.

Her mother was a genius, her father was one of the strongest beings in the universe, and her brother was a mixture of both. Where did that leave her? She was just a beautiful girl with a famous last name.

She lowered the window and opened the gate by scanning the palm of her hand against the security screen panel. It was early in the afternoon, if she was lucky the house would be empty. As the taxi came to a halt near the main entrance she looked at the giant building and let out a small sigh. She reminded herself that this was only temporary. She had promised her mother that she would return from America for the summer.

"Keep the change", she said, giving the cab driver a small smile as she pulled out a large bill from her purse. He mumbled a nervous thanks as he took the money and jumped out of the car to retrieve her luggage. She stepped out of the car and took the handle of her Louis Vuitton luggage and rolled it to the porch, feeling very foolish for not thinking of encapsulating it.

The bag felt relatively light was she hoisted it across the front steps. Even though she was not Saiyan-strong, she was still stronger than most of the women on Earth. She opened the large doors and stepped into the foyer, the house seemed empty, and the only noises were those of her red kitten heels tapping against the marble floor.

As she walked to her room she realized that she had forgotten how long the walk actually was. She passed the living area, pausing for a moment in front of a photo hanging on the wall. She let her fingers ghost across his smiling face and immediately felt those old emotions resurface. _'What's wrong with me?',_ she thought bitterly as her eyes scanned the rest of the people in the image. A small smile pulled at her lips as she took in the photo. It was a picture her grandmother had taken at one of the company BBQ's a few years back. Goku stood in the middle, boyish grin stretching across his face and his arms outstretched, embracing both his sons. Vegeta stood to the side with that trademark scowl adorning his face as Trunks forcefully pulled him into the picture. It was much easier to forget about them when they were an ocean away.

A gruff voice behind her brought her out of her thoughts, "I hadn't been expecting you so early"

She dropped her luggage in shock and turned around swiftly, a slight blush adorning her cheeks, "Daddy! What have I told you about sneaking up on me?"

A small smirk graced his lips as he looked at his youngest child, "It is not my fault your hearing is so pathetic. You're just as vulnerable as your mother. It's a miracle you've managed to survive this long on your own."

Her blue eyes widened and a bright smile lit up her face. All doubt was quickly forgotten as soon as she saw her father. Maybe, this visit would be different. After all, she was a bit older, a bit wiser. Perhaps this time she wouldn't allow her mind to dwell on things it shouldn't.

Little giggles escaped her lips as she launched herself into her father's arms. He allowed the embrace since they were alone, relieved that for once she did not reek of a whirlwind of artificial fragrances. She landed a big kiss on his cheek, leaving a red lipstick mark in its wake, "Don't tell anyone, but I missed you the most!"

With a final tight hug around his neck, she lowered herself to the ground. No matter how old she got, he still made her feel like a little girl.

Once Bulla had been born, Bulma noticed how over the years the little blue haired girl had stolen Vegeta's heart. He loved both his children equally, but Bulla had always been his little princess. When she left her absence had probably been felt by him the most. His wife had become the president of Capsule Corp. after she was born and his son was second in command. They invested most of their days in the corporate happenings of the company, leaving him to spend his days training at home, and when Bulla lived there they would at least have each other for company.

It was unsettling for him to not know where she was or how she was doing while she was away at university. He cursed himself for not training her because her ki was too weak to pinpoint. He never understood why she left, and his wife simply laughed it off, saying that the girl needed to be off on her own for a while. After all, she had done it when she was younger to find the dragonballs. She just needed a little adventure.

"So, when should I expect mom and Trunks to come home?" Bulla asked.

"Those two are too busy running around trying to prevent some company merger or whatever new predicament it is that they've gotten themselves into. I wouldn't expect them anytime soon."

She breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, I guess that means they won't be throwing me a welcome home party, right?"

Vegeta quirked an eyebrow and scoffed, "Don't think you're off the hook that easy. Other than her company bullshit, all your mother has been yapping about for these past few weeks has been about how excited she is regarding your return. "

She tried to hide her concern. If her mom had planned a party, she had a big feeling she could expect to see _him_ there.

"And of course she wants to shout from the rooftops about how proud she is of birthing a brat who just completed medical training", he added with a smirk. Even though it was a human accomplishment, it was an achievement that he had heard was something that was difficult to achieve, and something prestigious among the humans. And above all it, from what he understood, it was something that his rival's wife had wanted Gohan to do. He considered that a win in his book. Even though he was a bit confused as to why she had to leave so far to do that, he was just glad that she was home where he could keep an eye on her.

She rolled her eyes and brought her hands to her face, "Oh, gosh. Why do I have the feeling this is going to be so embarrassing?"

"Probably because it will be" he stated.

She bent down to pick up her suitcase, causing her father to frown as he noticed the amount of unnecessarily cleavage on display. If it was up to him she would be wearing winter outfits all year long, or those black sheets certain women seemed insistent on wearing. He bit his tongue regarding her outfit and watched as she hoisted up her luggage. She flipped her long blue hair back and grunted, "I don't see what the big deal is. I'm leaving again in the fall."

He couldn't stop the scowl that came to his face, "What?"

"Didn't mom tell you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, giving him a look of genuine curiosity. She took his silence as a negative. She took a few steps towards him and gave him a half-hearted smile, "I'm starting a surgical residency program soon. I worked really hard so that I could even get accepted. Only the best get in, you know? It's kind of a big deal."

In reality she was only a little excited to continue her studies. She didn't have that intellectual drive that her mother and brother possessed. Medicine was nothing like taking random spare metal parts and turning it into a technological miracle. Her greatest intellectual quality was that she was able to remember things. Probably one of the biggest reasons she chose to go to medical school was because it was a means of escape that allowed her family bragging rights.

"It isn't surprising that I'm the last to know.", he muttered, shutting his eyes and turning his face away, trying to hide the anger he was feeling. She had a feeling he wouldn't like the idea. That was why she had hoped her mother had broken the news. She didn't want to leave home, but being so close to _'him'_ wasn't ideal either.

"Daddy, I'm a big girl now", she laughed, forcing a smile and trying to lighten his mood. She walked past him, giving him a wink that made her seem just like her mother and continued the walk to her old bedroom, "I am 23 after all, not 5. I can handle myself just fine." she said over her shoulder.

As Vegeta watched her walk down the hallway his scowl deepened. Why couldn't his son have been the one who chose to go on a merry adventure on the other side of the damned planet? At least then he wouldn't have to worry- the boy had enough strength in him to annihilate the planet if he so pleased. And on the other side of the spectrum, he was willing to bet the blue haired princess currently walking away from him still couldn't fall asleep without a night light.

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_Ring._

_Ring._

"Ugh…" she groaned, blindly looking for her cellphone as her face was still buried within the pillow. Jet-lag was a pain. She grabbed it and answered without even looking to see who was calling, "Hello?"

"Hey, paging Dr. Bitch!" a perky voice replied, "Are you ready to party? It's been 2 weeks- I missed you! I was starting to get hella' bored. I was thinking you ditched your family for that California stud we met at Coachella."

"Sssh! Marron!" she hissed into the receiver, her head snapping up, "I'm home. Don't forget my dad has supersonic-freak hearing!"

"And a supersonicly cute ass!" Marron giggled.

"You're so gross." Bulla gagged.

"Did you remember to lock the door to the apartment when you left?" the blonde asked.

"Yes. I did. I'm not an idiot."

"Awesome. I'm super excited about seeing your phenomenally hot brother tonight…. And your party of course. I'm planning on there being enough alcohol to get us buzzing before we really party." Marron laughed.

Bulla rolled her eyes and pulled herself out of bed, small smile on her lips "This thing you've got for my dad and brother has got to stop. And I don't think I'll be going out tonight. It's my first day back and I'm beat."

"Whatever. I've been a good girl for the past 2 weeks- holed up here with my parents. All my dad has been talking about is how excited he is that everyone is meeting up. I'm gonna' enjoy myself before residency starts up again. See you tonight."

"See you later." Bulla said as she swiped her finger across the screen and ended the call. During Marron's last year at West City University they got to know each other. Bulla had crashed a party Marron happened to be at, and after that they were inseparable. Bulla had decided to apply to medical school with Marron since she had acquired all the credits necessary to apply while in high school (courtesy of inheriting her mother's knack for memorization). The one thing that had brought them together was that they both felt like black sheep. They weren't strong like everyone else they knew, the only physical exertion they tortured themselves with was purely in the name of vanity and perky rear ends. They found comfort in the normalcy they brought to each other.

As she dangled her feet off of the bed and stared out the open window surprised to see that the sun was barely starting to set. Her hearing was only a bit more sensitive than a humans', and she could hear the noises that the staff was making as they finished setting up for the party.

She could feel herself becoming nervous as she thought about the evening. She had a feeling ' _he'_ would be there. The one thing she hated most in life was the way he made her feel. So out of control. It made absolutely no sense.

It had all gone downhill for her after that afternoon 6 years ago.

She could still remember it as though it had happened yesterday. It had been summer then as well. The sun was high overhead and the temperature had been at a record breaking heat. The instant you would step outside beads of sweat would already begin forming. She had been wading around outside in the Laguna style pool, sipping on an icy drink as she flipped through a fashion magazine.

It had just been her and her father until Son Goku had suddenly shown up a few feet of her looking for Vegeta. In shock she had fallen out of her float, spilling her drink and drenching her magazine. Goku had just laughed awkwardly and apologized. She glared at him as he walked off without giving her a second glance in the direction of Vegeta's torture chamber. His appearances while uncommon, were not surprising. Sometimes he would randomly show up to spar with her dad, and sometimes her dad would randomly leave to train with him.

She was not blind- she knew he was very handsome (after all, his boyish good looks had been passed down to Goten), but during that passing moment her feelings for him had not yet developed. Before that life changing moment he had merely been Son Goku: Earth's protector, family friend, and father to her #1 crush.

A few minutes later, Goku and Vegeta had emerged from the gravity chamber. Goku was excitedly taking about some new technique he was perfecting and needed someone to spar with. In reality, she knew both men were simply bored and looking for a way to pass the time as they sometimes did.

Since her magazine was wet and completely unreadable, she just lounged around on her float staring at the only means of entertainment available- her father and Goku. She watched as they exchanged punches at a pace light enough for her to see.

Both her father and Goku had already begun to perspire due to the heat, but like most daughters she was able to conveniently ignore her father as her mischievous eyes roamed across Goku's body. It wasn't the first time she noticed how handsome he was, but it had been the first time she allowed herself to leisurely take in just how magnificent he was. His body was nothing like that of his youngest son. Goten's body while strong, was much more aesthetically pleasing in a conventional way- Goku's body was just brutal. Deep scars were scattered across his body, reminders of the opponents he managed to take down.

As she eyed the thickened scar that ran across his scapula she couldn't help but wonder what fierce adversary had managed to tear his flesh. About what Son Goku did to _him_. She wondered whether Goku crushed his trachea with his bare hands or sent him into oblivion with a powerful ki blast. They had been unsettling thoughts because fighting was not something she gave much thought to. That was Pan's department. Sometimes it was easy to forget how extraordinarily strong the people in her life were.

Vegeta let out a growl as Goku slammed him into the ground, causing the earth to tremble and small waves to form in the pool. She let out a little yelp as she was once again knocked off her float and fell into the water. With a scowl on her face she waded over to the edge of the pool, her eyes peering across the cement at the little battle happening dangerously close to her grandmother's prize winning marigolds.

Her father gave Goku a small smirk as he braced his feet on the ground and began to build up his power. Goku landed on the ground a few feet away from Vegeta and smiled, accepting the challenge. With his eyes never leaving Vegeta's he let out a yell as raw power radiated from his body, charring the grass around him.

She was too far to feel the heat both men were creating, the only thing indicating that their supernatural strength had increased had been the gusts of wind that blew her wet hair back. Ki was not something that she could sense, but that instant when Son Goku's energy spiked something strange happened. The small hairs on the nape of her neck stood up and a small tremor tickled at the nerves running up her spine.

It had been completely random- a sensation she had never felt before, and something she would never be able to put into words. She had been able feel his power itching under her skin, and for a quick passing moment she had felt invincible.

As the feeling struck her she had wondered if Goku had felt something too because he gave a quick glance over at the girl in the pool, a brief look of confusion on his face. That moment that he let his guard down was all Vegeta needed, because not even a second later Vegeta's fist landed painfully on his cheek, sending him crashing into a bed of yellow flowers.

The fight ended abruptly as Goku removed a flower that was twisted in his hair, leaving Vegeta to notice the small crater they had created and the explosion of flower petals around them. They were going to be in so much trouble. Bra had let out a small giggle as she pushed herself out of the pool, the earlier feeling completely forgotten. She grabbed her towel and walked into the house completely unaware of how that day would forever change her life.

Bulla chewed at the skin on the side of her fingernail as she looked outside of her bedroom window at the staff putting up colorful paper lanterns on the trees. She gazed at the pool and at the spot where the yellow flowers once grew and let out a small sigh. The feelings hadn't been instantaneous, it took another 2 years until the feelings had become overwhelming.

Other boys no longer seemed appealing to her. It wasn't that they weren't attractive, it was simply that they were too _weak_. It made her feel like her father- soon she was basing a man's value on his strength. It made her feel barbaric. Even her schoolgirl crush on Goten had slowly fizzled after that afternoon. Of course, she rebelled against her feelings and tried to find a boy to ease her troubling thoughts. A boy capable of making her forget those weird, sick thoughts that slithered in the back of her mind.

The boys she tried were fickle and unsatisfying. She wasn't sure what she wanted, but whatever her one night stands provided wasn't it. She didn't want love or someone to hold at night. She just wanted for her dreams to not be haunted by his imaginary touches. Those brief moments Goku would happen to be around her were torture. She tried to find reasons to not be home whenever he visited because being physically close to him was painful.

It was as though this imaginary heat radiated off of him and even a simple good natured pat on the back would leave her lightheaded. It made her feel sick. Why did she even have these thoughts at all? Why did she feel this overwhelming need to run her hands against his bronze skin? To find out what he tasted like. It was too weird. He had never done anything to encourage the unwelcomed need that bubbled inside her.

He was married and even though he looked young he was still old enough to be her father. It was disgusting. Even when he was far away she could still feel a flicker of something, like a little beacon that pulled her thoughts to him.

She ran a frustrated hand through her long blue hair and walked over to her bedside table, pulling out a small box of cigarettes. When she moved away the little beacon had been extinguished, but when she was asleep vivid images of him squeezing her pale skin still managed to haunt her.

She peeked her head out of the balcony doors and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the light to the gravity chamber was still on. She stepped outside and brought the small stick to her lips and lit it quickly with the lighter she had found still hidden on the windowsill.

She took a drag, exhaling the smoke slowly through pursed lips. She wasn't a teenager anymore and she hadn't seen him in over 4 years. It would be different now. It had to be.

"I see you still haven't managed to get rid of your bad habits" a voice said behind her, causing her to inhale a bit too strongly and start coughing.

She whipped her head around to see Trunks grinning at her with arms crossed against his chest, looking eerily like their father.

"You would think that a doctor would know better than to suck that poison into their lungs" he continued as he eyed the lit cigarette in her fingers.

She rolled her eyes and tossed the cigarette down the balcony. She walked over to him and gave him a small smile as she tousled his silver locks, "It's nice to see you too big brother. And my bad habits are mine alone, so leave it at that. But it is nice to know someone cares about my wellbeing"

He scrunched up his nose at the smell of the nicotine on her body and mumbled, "Well, it's not just your wellbeing I'm worried about. Dad would lose his shit if he ever found out his little princess was a chain smoker."

"At least I'm not a promiscuous womanizer." she huffed, blue eyes narrowing as she walked past him back into her bedroom.

"If you were a promiscuous womanizer then I think we would have a whole new set of problems" Trunks laughed following her back into the room.

She opened the door into her walk-in closet and felt a little irritated when she noticed her brother was leaning against the doorframe.

"Is mom home yet?" she asked as she flipped through the dresses on the rack, trying to find something appropriate to wear.

"Not yet. She was finishing up some paperwork but she should be here in a few minutes"

"So Marron told me mom invited everyone?" she mumbled as she pulled a small nude colored dress against her body and looked over herself in the mirror.

"If by everyone you mean Goten, then yes." he said, chuckling when she blushed and turned away from him.

"That crush ended before I even finished high school. Will you never let it go?" she growled feeling the need to throw a stiletto at his head. She wondered what everyone would think if they knew that the reason her infatuation with Goten ceased was because it had moved on to his father.

"Ha! Yeah right. I bet even after 4 years you're going to turn into a pile of goo at his feet and run away like a little girl. It's hilarious!" he laughed, remembering how once she became a teenager whenever Goten would casually talk to Bulla she would become flustered and red. Everyone knew about her crush on Goten. Her father found it unbearable, Bulma thought it was adorable, and Trunks found it to be a means of constant entertainment. The only reason Goten had begun making her uncomfortable was because he looked so much like the man who tormented her dreams. She couldn't even look at him without thinking about Goku.

He felt an increase in her energy and knew he went a bit too far. "I'm just teasing, Bulla! You take everything so seriously."

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, "I have to get dressed. I'll see you in a bit okay? We have all summer to annoy the crap out of each other. Let's take it in small doses."

"Sounds good to me." he said. She watched through the reflection on the mirror in front of her as he gave her a small smile and walked out of the closet. She threw the dress on the bed along with the sky-high stilettos she had chosen to wear and made her way into her bathroom to wash off any traces of the cigarette she had partially smoked.

As she stood under the hot water she prayed to Kami that she wouldn't be flooded with those peculiar emotions when she saw Son Goku. Everything would be fine, she reassured herself. She was stressing out over something that probably wouldn't even happen.

She quickly dried herself off, and sat at her vanity staring blankly at her reflection a little agitated that all she could see was her mother looking back at her. That was all anyone saw when they looked at her.

She expertly applied her routine winged black eyeliner to her upper lids, making her light blue eyes look even more expressive and a dark, blood red stain to her lips. Drastic makeup was something her mother never bothered with, so in a way she felt it was a reminder to everyone else that she was not Bulma Briefs. She slipped into the flesh colored dress that she had lain out on the bed and stepped into a pair of shimmering gold louboutin pumps.

She couldn't help but smile and feel her spirit lift as she looked at her reflection. The dress was snug enough to emphasize her figure, but the scooped neckline was modest enough to cover the large chest she had inherited from her grandmother. The hem of the dress ended only 4 inches down her thighs, leaving her creamy legs on display. She looked like a gorgeous vintage pin-up. Dressing up was a nice change to the white lab coat and professional attire she had become accustomed to donning during residency. A soft knock on the bedroom door snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Come in", Bulla called, already knowing who it was that stood outside her door. Only one person in her family knocked.

Her mother stepped in, looking as radiant as ever as she clasped her hands together and brought them to her mouth, eyes glazing over in happiness, "My, baby! You look so beautiful!"

Bulla couldn't help but smile as she stepped over to her mother, "Of course I do. I look like you!"

Bulma drew her into a tight embrace, "I missed you so much, sweetheart! I'm so proud of you". Bulma pulled away, putting her hands on both sides of her youngest daughter's face, "It feels so good to have my whole family under the same roof, even if it's just for a few months"

"I always knew I'd have smart babies, but I really outdid myself" Bulma laughed as she stepped out of the embrace to look over her daughter, "A tech-savvy businessman and a soon to be surgeon. Chi-Chi must be so jealous. She always wanted Gohan to go into medicine."

Bulma peered across her daughter's shoulder and noticed the little box sitting on the bedside dresser. She quirked a perfect eyebrow at her daughter and said, "So, I see that you not only inherited my good looks, but my bad habits as well."

She stepped over to the table, nails tapping against the box, "Your dad hates these things". She looked over her shoulder and gave Bulla a knowing smile, "Hopefully, you didn't also inherit my questionable taste in men."

Bulla signed and rolled her eyes and huffed, hoping that this conversation was not going where she thought it was. Her mother pulled open the box and pulled out a stick, placing it between her part lips. She outstretched her hand, offering her daughter the open box, "Ssh! I won't tell anyone if you won't"

"I just showered" she stated, eying the cigarette dangling from her mother's lips.

"We'll just blame it on me", she shrugged, offering the pack once again, "Everyone knows I could never quit for too long. I'll take a chance and break my nicotine sobriety for a chance to share a smoke with my daughter. It's not like this is gonna' kill me."

Bulla pulled a small white stick out and walked out to the balcony. She retrieved the lighter from its hiding place, lit her cigarette and handed it to her mom. Bulla and her mother both rested their elbows on the railing and looked out at the garden below. A few guests had already shown up, mostly friends her mother knew from work.

"Did you already see your father?" Bulma asked as she looked in the direction of the gravity chamber, glad to see that the lights had already been turned off. "I swear to Kami if that man runs off with Goku into that damned training room tonight I'll tear them both a new one."

"Yes, I saw him earlier. Thanks for not telling him I was leaving in a few months. He was absolutely thrilled." Bulla sarcastically mumbled as she ashed the cigarette with a dainty tap of her finger.

"Well, I didn't want to break the news and ruin his good mood. You know how rare those are. ", Bulma laughed as she turned to face her daughter, "And I want you to know that even though he never says it, your father loves you more than anything. You have no idea how many times I've had to stop that man from flying across the world to snoop on you!"

Bulla couldn't hide the look of embarrassment that appeared on her face, "Snoop on me?! Why would he do that? If he wanted to check up on me so bad all he had to do was call."

"Oh look! Chi-Chi is on her way!" Bulma said pointing at a green car winding down the road towards the entrance of Capsule Corp, completely forgetting about what she had just said. She ground her cigarette against the railing and tossed it, grabbing her daughter's hand and pulling her inside, "Let's go! I haven't seen them in ages!"

All of a sudden Bulla felt her heart beat a little faster and a feeling of uneasiness crashed down upon her. She let her mother drag her out the bedroom door, towards the staircase. Bulma turned around to look at her and noticed the change in Bulla's mood, "Sweetie, are you okay?"

Bulla blinked a few times, taking even breaths through her nose. She took a quick glance at the guests below, reminding herself that this time would be different. A small, tight smile eased its way to her crimson lips, "Of course I'm fine."

Bulma just gave her daughter a nod, deciding that the sudden change in mood was probably just jitters. As Bulma descended down the staircase the guests all paused to look at her. Bulma held her head high with a delicate smile gracing her already radiant face. Her presence demanded attention. Bulma motioned with a hand up at Bulla who was still standing at the top of the staircase, "I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. I do hope you enjoy yourselves as we celebrate this wonderful, brilliant woman I am so proud to call my daughter."

'Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.' Bulla thought as she gazed down at the people below. She let out a sigh of relief as she scanned the scene under her, grateful that the majority of faces below were just a bunch of fat-cat government officials and company associates. She followed her mother down the stairs forcing her mouth into an effortless smile as the guests erupted into a sea of applause below her.

A voice as sweet as a bell suddenly cut through the room as soon as the applause began to wane, "Hello, everyone. It feels so wonderful to see all of your faces again. I really do appreciate you taking the time to welcome me back home."

She reached the bottom of the stairs with the grace of a silver screen goddess, lithely taking a champagne glass from the tray of a server who happened to be passing by. She raised the dainty glass into the air and before she brought the fizzy liquid to her lips she laughed, "Now enough about me. How about we all just enjoy ourselves tonight?"

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When the applause broke out signaling her arrival, he looked up to see the guest of honor and for a brief moment he forgot how to breathe. She was absolutely breathtaking. Other than the women on the glossy pages of magazines, he'd never seen a girl look as stunning and flawless as she did as she descended down the stairs. She was so beautiful it hurt.

That girl with the soft, long blue hair was not the same one he had seen 4 years ago. Was this really the little girl who had a crippling crush on him? Maybe, she was the same girl. Maybe, behind that polished exterior was that loud, obnoxious teenager who only cared about designer clothes, cute boys, and juicy gossip.

He was brought out his trance when he felt a sharp pinch on his arm and a sharp whisper into his ear, "Shut your mouth before you start drooling! Shame on you, Son Goten! Where are your manners?"

He felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment as he turned to look at his mom and gave her a sheepish smile, "Sorry."

"You're lucky Vegeta didn't see you staring at his daughter like she was a giant meat bun. I raised you better than that!" his mother scolded as she looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Wow, look at her." Goku whispered not so quietly, causing Chi-Chi's attention to shift to her husband, "She looks just like Bulma. It's kind of creepy, actually. I wonder if she's just as loud and bossy as Bulma? I bet she is."

Because his guard was down, he flinched when he felt a strong hand pat him on his back. It was just Trunks. His best friend looked over at where his sister was standing a distance away and chuckled, "I'll have you know that she is every bit as loud and obnoxious as my mom. Probably more so. Her presence will definitely be felt."

"That's not a nice thing to say, Trunks." Chi-Chi said, unable to stifle the small giggle his reply caused her.

As Goten managed to pry his eyes away from the blue haired princess and finally take in his surroundings he noticed Vegeta standing near the back of the room alone, watching his wife and daughter. "Holy crap! Watch out, Oolong's gonna sprout wings and fly. I can't believe your mom managed to pry Vegeta out of the G.R. for this."

"Oh, look at that Vegeta's even wearing a nice suit." Chi-Chi said as she turned to look over her husband, "Aren't you glad I made you dress up too, Goku? You would have looked so strange showing up in training clothes."

Goku chose to ignore Chi-Chi's comment gave Vegeta a smile and wave which the Saiyan Prince acknowledged with a scowl and turning his head in the opposite direction.

"Dad never misses Bulla's things. Even when we were kids he'd show up at her spelling bees or crappy plays. It's no secret, she's the favorite." Neither Goku nor Goten failed to notice the bitter tone in Trunk's voice. Trunk's brought the glass of wine he had been holding up to his mouth and drank the whole thing in one gulp. He gave the Son family a fake smile as jabbed his thumb in the direction of a group of young girls standing near the open bar, "I'll catch you guys later. It looks like I've got some new friends to meet. You coming Goten?"

After being caught staring at Bulla with his mouth hanging open Goten decided to spare himself the probable smack across the head by declining Trunks offer. Instead he looked over to his father who was already sniffing out where the food was.

"So? Should we hit up the buffet table?"

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 _He was here!_ She tried to keep her nerves under control so that the glass in her hand wouldn't shatter. Even though he wasn't visible to her, that familiar pull that she had managed to evade for the past few years was tickling at her nerves. It felt like little electric spiders were crawling under her skin and shooting invisible webs in his direction. For a moment she wondered if this is what sensing ki was like.

She had been smiling blankly at some big-head engineer, listening to him as he went on and on about his achievements when all of a sudden an arm was thrown over her shoulder. She flinched and looked over to see her friend giving her a big smile. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, glad that she finally had a reason to get away from all these brown nosers. Marron looked over at the engineer and back and Bulla with a comically serious expression, "Sorry, buddy but from the look on my friend's face it looks like you were 20 seconds away from asphyxiating her with your boring yammering."

Bulla couldn't help but let out a very unlady like snort as she saw the man's face turn a very unnatural shade of red. Before he could open his mouth to retaliate Marron swiftly turned them around and pulled her into the crowd. It didn't take a genius to know where Marron was dragging her.

"Thanks for getting me away from there. I have no idea why my mom wanted to do this today. It's like she couldn't wait a week to show off." Bulla huffed as she grabbed another glass of champagne off of a serving tray, "I mean we've got another 3 months left!"

"Oh, stop being such a baby crier! Waah! Poor me with my big welcome-home-I'm-a-badass-doctor party! My mom loves me too much! Waah!" Marron mocked as she threw herself on a barstool. Bulla rolled her eyes and sat herself next to her friend. The bartender was in front of them before she even had a chance to cross her legs.

"You know I've never tried Hennessey. I hear about it all the time in rap songs." Marron said as she looked up indecisively at the extensive display of alcohol behind the bartender.

From the corner of her eye Bulla saw as her brother walked up behind Marron to lean across the counter between them. As she looked at him she couldn't help but feel a bit detached. Everything felt so strange to her. Being around all of these people who she hadn't seen in so long, including her family, felt dream like. All of these people were extraordinary, and it made her feel so small.

"I don't drink hard liquor, you know that Marron" Bulla lied as she looked sternly across the counter at Marron.

Marron's mouth formed a little 'o' as she finally turned to her side and noticed Trunks standing beside her. She let out a slow giggle and looked up at the handsome bartender with an awkward smile, "Ugh. I know. Drinking hard liquor is just so nasty. I'll just have a strawberry daiquiri."

"I'm surprised you're hanging out here with me instead of with your boyfriend or wreaking havoc on the buffet table." Bulla stated as she looked up at her brother with a quirked eyebrow.

"I'll have you know that I came here to say my hellos to Marron, who I haven't seen in ages" Trunks said, giving Marron a charming smile before taking a quick glance over his shoulder towards the buffet table, "And mom warned dad and I to back off the food. Apparently the only Saiyans allowed near it are the Sons. And of course the guest of honor" he added dryly.

"So no food and no fighting allowed. You must find my party really boring." Bulla laughed, giving her brother a small shove against his shoulder, trying her best to ignore the fact that he just stated that the one person she couldn't stop thinking about was hidden somewhere in the crowd.

"Well, Dad found the party so boring he's finally run back into the G.R." Trunk's said.

"Mom is gonna' kill him. He never learns." Bulla said shaking her head.

"Yeah, and after Goku finishes all the food I'm sure he'll join him."

He just had to say his name. She tried her hardest not to let her smile falter, glad that at that moment Marron mouthed _, "Oh-my-Kami!"_ and rolled her eyes up in her head in mock bliss when Trunks turned his head. Bra's upper lip curled in disgust, even though she was not the least bit surprised my Marron's behavior.

"What?" Trunks asked in confusion when he saw the look on his youngest sister's face.

"Nothing, I was just picturing Goku eating." Bulla quickly replied, shooting her friend another glare and mouthing the word, _"NO!"_ at a very innocent looking Marron.

Trunks turned his head around quickly enough to catch Marron mid-wink, nodding her head, and with both her hands giving his sister the universal thumbs-up sign. He looked at her with confusion and back at his sister, "I guess even medical school couldn't beat the weirdness out of you bunch of looneys."

"The only pair of looneys around here are Goten and you. Both of you dorks are the worst", Marron muttered giving Trunks a playful glare.

"I heard my name!" a muffled voice called from behind Bulla. She felt a sudden spike of fear as she recognized the voice. _'Please be alone!_ ' she thought as she swerved the barstool around so that she was looking up at Son Goten.

She caught him mid-gulp as he swallowed what looked like a chocolate cupcake. He quickly wiped off the front of his suit for any possible crumbs and looked up at the girl he hadn't seen in years. When he looked up at her he was a bit taken aback by the scent of fear that was softly rolling off of her and the way her beautiful blue eyes widened when they made eye contact.

Trunks smelled his sister's fear, mistaking it for the little crush he had been hoping was just a phase. He grabbed his wine glass of the counter and muttered, "Here we go again. I'm outta' here before I throw up."

As soon as Goten appeared Marron had noticed how Bulla's calm demeanor instantly changed. Her mischievous blue eyes went from Goten to Bulla then over at Trunk's who was already disappearing into the crowd of party guests. Marron gave Goten a little wave, which he acknowledged with a smile, and Bulla a half-hearted shrug as she stood up and walked away in Trunk's direction.

Bulla's eyes followed her friends retreating form until she lost sight of her golden hair in the throng of people. She let out a little sigh and looked up to see Goten giving her a look of concern.

"Are you okay? You look a little out of it.", Goten asked as he took Marron's empty seat.

She blinked a few times and tried to calm herself as she looked at the empty champagne glass in front of her. As she watched the condensation drip down the glass she mentally prepared herself for what should just be simple conversation.

She looked over her shoulder, giving Goten a small smile and prayed that she didn't look as tense as she felt. She ran her red nail over the rim of her glass and laughed, "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I shouldn't have had anything to drink on an empty stomach."

"I never have that problem." He replied as he patted his stomach for emphasis, flashing her that famous Son-smile.

She felt the corners of her lips twitch as she studied his face. He looked so much like his father it was making her feel sick. She turned her face away from him and rested her elbows on the countertop, "So how have you been Son Goten? You been keeping busy?"

"I try", he said, averting his gaze because he sensed it made her uncomfortable, "I own this dojo in the city. Pan works with me sometimes. It keeps me busy."

"Impressive." She said, feeling a tad bit braver. She rested her cheek on the palm of her hand and turned to face him, "I can't believe you're a business man now. How grown-up of you."

He couldn't help but laugh, happy to see that fire he remembered burn in those sapphire eyes. "Well, I wouldn't consider myself a business man because I own a dojo. I'm not exactly a suit and tie kind of guy."

"For not being a suit and tie kind of guy, I must say you're working it quite well." she said, mentally cringing as soon as the words left her mouth.

His eyes widened in shock, a faint blush creeping up to his cheeks. He had not been expecting that. Without skipping a beat he mumbled, "You look really beautiful tonight."

Oh, this was awkward. He felt his jaw tense as he clenched his teeth, suddenly feeling more like a teenager than a man who had just turned 30. To make it worse he couldn't figure out why her tiny ki was spiking randomly and why she smelled scared. He was glad Vegeta was too busy trying to make his father bleed, because he was sure that if he were still in the room he'd be investigating why his daughter was so uncomfortable. Of course, if Vegeta was in the room he probably wouldn't even be alone talking to Bulla.

"Oh, thanks." she said slowly as she looked over his face. For some reason as hard as she tried when she looked into his eyes she couldn't find Goten. All she saw was the man who robbed her of her sanity. A wry smile twisted as her lips as an idea suddenly formed in her head.

It was a very bad idea. She could tell that from the way he looked at her he saw her as something more than that love sick teenage girl. She felt a bit guilty for what she was thinking of doing, but for some reason the part of her brain associated with logical thinking seemed to have gone numb.

He looked every bit as flustered as she felt. It was a nice change to know that for once it was her that was making one of the Son men uneasy. She crossed her legs, intentionally allowing the shallow hem of her skirt to rise, showing just enough pale skin to see if he was at least physically interested in her.

He took the bait. His dark eyes darted down to scan the soft, creamy stiletto clad legs that she had put on display. In his mind's eye he pictured his hands running under the thin material of her dress. He turned his face forward to hide the slight blush forming on his cheeks, shame immediately flooding him as he realized that this was Vegeta's daughter he was looking at.

Even though his reaction was what she wanted, she was surprised by the fleeting flicker of rage she felt when he looked at her. If he had returned her affection when she was blindly in love with him would things have been better? Of course family turmoil would have been expected, but in her mind that catastrophe would have paled in comparison to the twisted feelings she had spent the past few years running away from.

Goten was caught off guard when he when he turned to see her with her delicate blue eyebrows furrowed, with a look in her eyes that he interpreted as a nonverbal scolding. How did things get so awkward so quickly?

He shot up off his seat, awkwardly running a hand through his thick black hair in a way that reminded her of his father. "Uh…well, it was great seeing you. I think I'm gonna' look for Tr-", he mumbled as he tried to take a step back.

Before he could finish his sentence, a delicate hand grabbed at his wrist. He was even more uncomfortable and shocked to find that she was giving him a smile so sweet it took his breath away.

"You don't plan on leaving me here all alone do you?" she teased, intentionally letting her fingernails lightly trace against his skin as she withdrew her hand. It took Bulla a lot of mental strength to silence the little scolding voice in her head shrieking that what she was doing was shameful and disgusting. It wasn't him she wanted, but it seemed the only alternative.

He blinked a few times and tried his best to smile, but instead it looked like he had just tasted something sour because he couldn't get the look of shock off his face. "O-of course not. I was just-"

Oh this was too good, Bulla mused, loving the way that that she had managed to get him nervous. Her previous fear had been replaced with determination. She tapped his seat with her hand, "Sit down, Goten. I haven't seen you in so long. Let's catch up."

He obediently sat down to face the beautiful heiress, not knowing that his fate had already been sealed. If she couldn't have the father, then the son would have to do.

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	2. Acceptance

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**Just a Ride**

_Chapter 2: Acceptance_

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As Bulma peered out the window in the living area, she couldn't help the growl that escaped her when she noticed that the light to the Gravity Machine was on. She turned to look at Chi-Chi with her mouth curled in displeasure and yelled, "Can you believe the nerve of that man? His daughter has been away for months and he'd rather be locked up inside that damned room. After all these years, he hasn't changed a bit!"

Chi-Chi ignored Bulma's comment and instead kept silent as she stared forward, watching something that brought a wistful smile to her face. Without a word, Bulma followed her friend's gaze and laughed, "On second thought, I'm glad Vegeta's trapped himself in his torture chamber. Look at them!"

Goten and Bulla sat at the bar with their backs towards their mothers, talking and laughing to each other as though they were the only people in the room. Bulma knew that her daughter was no saint when it came to boys, but she had never actually seen her little girl interact around one with such happiness.

She hoped for her daughter's sake and his own that Son Goten had outgrown his party boy days. Even though he was older than Bulla, she knew that he would be good for her. She could tell from the look on Son Goten's face that he was looking at Bulla through a man's eyes. All he could see was a beautiful girl with a lovely smile and big chest- and for once that was a good thing. She figured it was better than the hordes of men who only saw Bulla Briefs as a never ending supply of zeni and means of introducing themselves to society.

Goten had probably noticed them staring because he suddenly turned his head and gave her a bright grin that made her think of her best friend Goku. Her smile suddenly felt heavy as she took in the view of the beautiful girl with the long blue tresses and the man with the black spikey hair.

Oh, Kami! It looked just like a younger version of Goku and her. Watching them suddenly brought a passing feeling of regret. She loved Vegeta and her children, but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what if she had picked Goku?

She dumbly waved back as she turned to look at her friend, not surprised to see that Chi-Chi's eyes were glazed over in joy. She felt repulsed by herself for even allowing such a thought to cross her mind. Especially, when standing right next to Chi-Chi.

"I bet they are going to make us beautiful grandbabies!"

Brought back to reality, Bulma jerked her head back and frowned down at her friend, "No way! I'm way too young to be a grandma!"

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They made their way outside of the party and into the lantern lit backyard of Capsule Corps. All of the earlier tension had dissipated and now they were engaged in light hearted conversation. Bulla pushed her worries deep down so that she could focus on the task at hand; making Son Goten hers. She had told herself that once she had him and her desires had been sated, then everything would be back to normal.

The electric, prickling sensation she felt running up and down her spine was a nagging reminder that Goku was very close by. When she felt it, the emotions that it would bring along with it were very erratic. The feeling was eerily similar to mixing stimulants with alcohol- for a while it was total euphoria until the uneasiness, sadness and anxiety would begin to weigh her down.

All of it would end with his son. She just knew he would be her salvation.

She carefully gauged his reaction as she allowed her hand to casually brush up against his as they walked under the dark, starless night sky. She noticed his posture immediately stiffen upon the contact of their skin. He looked away as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks so that he wouldn't have to worry about accidently touching her in a way she would deem inappropriate.

 _'He is making this so much harder than it has to be'_ , she thought as she looked him over. She didn't want to go through all the trouble of flowers and dates- she just wanted him to shove her on the ground and fuck her until she couldn't think straight.

But of course, that's not what a good girl would do. And she wanted him to think she was a good girl, because after all that's the type that boys marry. All that night, as they had been talking, her mind had been churning up the possible outcomes of this relationship. She wasn't 100% sure what she wanted yet, but she wanted to play it safe so that if this was what she needed long-term, it wouldn't fall through.

"So, are you busy tomorrow evening, Goten?" Bulla asked as they neared the large white building. She knew she would have to be the one initiating everything, Goten was being far too reluctant. It wasn't a secret that both Goten and her brother went through women the way she went through shoes.

After a long pause Goten finally answered, "No, it's a weekend. The dojo closes early. Why did you want to hang out or something?"

She clenched her jaw in irritation and gave herself a few seconds to calm herself down before replying. _Hang out? Who did he think she was? Trunks?_

"Yeah, I did. I haven't been to the city in almost a year. It would be fun." Bulla said, watching Goten's expression as she spoke.

"Cool, I'll ask Trunk's if he wants to come!" he said excitedly, "And you should ask Marron to come! I'd ask Pan, too, but she's probably busy with school."

The more he spoke, the harder it was for her to keep that famous temper of hers in check. She bit the bottom of her lip in order to keep her mouth shut as she mentally fumed, ' _It was supposed to be a date, not a damned family reunion!'_

"It would be so much fun! We haven't all hung out together since we were kids" he continued. If he wanted Marron and Trunk's to tag along it was fine, she knew Marron was capable of keeping her brother busy. From the look on Goten's face it looked as though he thought Marron and her idea of a fun evening still involved ice cream cones and merry-go-rounds.

She couldn't keep the devious smirk off of her crimson stained lips, "Yeah, sure. Marron's been dying to have some fun, and so have I."

He was about to reply, but as soon as his eyes caught the shadow walking up from behind Bulla his mouth snapped shut and he swallowed the nervous lump that got caught in his throat. He mentally cringed, upset at himself for being so distracted by his conversation with the blue haired princess that he had been completely oblivious to his surroundings. He hadn't even sensed the two familiar, powerful ki's headed their way.

When Bulla saw the nervousness in his expression she knew they had been caught by her father. She shut her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. She could sense ' _him_ ' getting closer as well. Trying her hardest to look in control, she straightened up her posture and turned around to face Goku and her father. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable.

Vegeta couldn't help the growl that escaped him when he took in the scene before him. His daughter was standing barefoot underneath the lantern light with a pretty smile on her face, and with a pair of golden heels dangling carelessly from her fingers. As he looked her over he immediately noticed that neither her hair or clothing were disheveled, nor did the pair reek of amorous activity. Next, his eyes zeroed in on Goten. It wasn't until the boy had wandered outside of the party that he had sensed that only his daughter was in his company, and of course the thought was unsettling.

"Hello, Mr. Vegeta." Goten said as he ran a hand through nervously through his spikey hair as he looked past Vegeta at his father. Goku stood there with a big grin on his face, shaking his head knowingly at his son.

"Mom is going to be so mad at both of you." Bulla said nonchalantly as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she took in both men's appearance. The Saiyan men had traded their suits for training clothes that were now dirty with flecks of blood and damp with sweat.

As her eyes roamed down Goku, she tried her hardest to keep her breathing regular. _'This time will be different'_ she mentally chanted as she gave Goku a small smile.

Kami, he was just as magnificent as she remembered. She blinked her big cerulean eyes at him, pupils dilating in dread as the feeling came back with an intensity to strong she felt like she was going to choke.

She cursed herself for looking him in the eye. He was about to greet her when he noticed the immediate change in her. Instantly, her heart rate began to speed up and her fingers began to shake ever so slightly. The sharp smell of fear began to flood off of her, and as he took in the scent, a very uneasy feeling washed over him.

A feeling that was much too familiar. He had only felt it once before, and even then it had been a fleeting sensation so quick he didn't dare believe he had felt it in the first place.

When he sensed the change in his daughter, he tore his gaze away from Goten. She reeked of fear.

"What did you do to her, boy?" Vegeta snarled through clenched teeth as he took a threatening step towards Goten.

Bulla completely ignored her father and Goten, instead she kept her fearful eyes locked on the man who had haunted her mind and body for the past 7 years. After not seeing him in so long, mentally, this was too much to handle. She hadn't been prepared for her this.

Goku was the one broke the eye contact as he averted his gaze to the grass at her pretty bare feet, extremely confused by what had just happened between them.

She clenched her eyes shut so tight she could see a colorful wave of light beneath her closed eyelids, instead of the man standing before her. She had to get rid of these unwanted feelings, they scared her.

"I haven't done anything." Goten said as his eyes darted from Bulla to Vegeta. He was just as confused as her father.

She opened her eyes and looked up towards the night sky, suddenly feeling very weak and lightheaded. She couldn't help giving her father a sad smile as she noticed the tell-tale hint of worry on his face as his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth opened ever so slightly. _'Oh, father if you only knew what a horrible daughter I really am._ ', Bulla thought as her louboutin heels slipped out of her fingers and onto the grass.

"Daddy, I don't think I'm feeling too good." Bulla said softly, attempting to steady herself as she reached out a trembling hand in Vegeta's direction. She had to get away from _him_! She took a shaky step towards Vegeta, and before another word left her mouth she felt a sudden coldness as her vision began to blur.

She didn't even make it to the ground. Before losing consciousness she felt herself being scooped up and carried by her father. Her father hadn't carried her like this since she was a small child. She was too exhausted to feel embarrassed.

Vegeta looked down at the unconscious princess in his arms and then angrily at the father and son standing before him. He turned his head to a very confused Goku and spat, "You keep that boy of yours away from my daughter. If you don't keep him in line, I can promise you that there will be hell to pay."

The Son men watched Vegeta's retreating form as he carried the beautiful girl towards the dome shaped building. Goku couldn't help but give his son a lighthearted smile and reassuring pat on the back, "Don't worry about Vegeta. I'm sure he didn't mean that."

"I'm sure he meant every word." Goten said, feeling very stupid for thinking he even had a chance with the heiress.

Goku walked over to the spot where Bulla had been standing before losing consciousness. Nestled within the thick grass were a pair of shimmering, golden shoes. He picked up the red-heeled shoes by their strappy backs and showed them to Goten, "Hey, she left her shoes."

"Yeah", Goten muttered as he watched Vegeta fly into the building through one of the large open French doors on the balcony. If he remembered correctly, that was Bulla's room.

"You can give them to her." Goku said as he threw the heels at Goten.

"What?" Goten asked, catching the shoes as they collided against his chest with a bit more force than he was expecting.

"Tomorrow, you give them to her. Isn't that what you guys were talking about, anyway? Now you have an excuse to see her." Goku said, as though it were the most obvious thing to do.

"Dad, I can just give them to Bulma or Trunks, now."

"You could." Goku said with a shrug, "But then you'd have to explain why you have them in the first place."

"I guess you're right. I'll see you at home." Goten agreed as he walked away from his father with the shoes in hand. Before flying off into the night sky he took a final glance at the party happening through the large windows and thought, _'What the hell was I thinking?'_

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She had been sitting with Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Videl when her cellphone suddenly began to vibrate on the ivory tablecloth. She was about to silence it, until she saw the name on the caller ID: Vegeta. Her eyes widened in surprise and she immediately snapped her phone open.

"Hello?" she answered curiously. In the years she had been with him, calls from her husband were few.

"Woman, your daughter is unconscious," said the gruff voice on the other end.

"What?" she asked sharply as she stood up from the table, earning her a few concerned looks from the guests sitting at the table. She gave them a fake smile and silently mouthed, " _I'll be right back_." while pointing at the phone.

"Your daughter is unconscious." He repeated slowly with irritation lacing every syllable.

"Is she hurt? Where are you?" Bulma asked as she made her way towards the kitchen and away from the noise.

"She is in her quarters and is unharmed. But, I cannot promise the same for Kakarot's idiot spawn." he said before the line went dead.

Bulma pushed her way past the crowd and up the stairs towards her daughter's room. She hurriedly slammed the bedroom door open to find her daughter lying on her unmade bed in her party clothes, and her husband standing beside her sleeping form.

She walked over towards them and ran a hand against her little girl's cheek, "Vegeta, what happened?"

He kept his gaze down on the girl, with a look of concern that only those close to him would be able to recognize, "She was outside with Kakarot's boy. When I approached them she suddenly became frightened and fainted."

Bulma quirked an eyebrow and her husband and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, "So let me get this straight. When you just happened to stumble upon Bulla and Goten walking around the corporation ground she became so frightened she fainted?"

He kept his serious expression and simply nodded.

His wife could no longer contain herself. She slapped his arm and laughed, "Oh, Vegeta! She probably passed out from utter embarrassment! You probably just scared her. I'm sure she probably just had a little too much to drink as well. Did you catch Goten shoving his hands up her dress or something?"

He shot his wife a look of disgust and frowned, "They were doing no such thing. Had I caught him with his hands on her, I can assure you that the runt would have found himself turned into a pile of ash."

"Then why were you so mad? You know Bulla's always had a soft spot for Goten." Bulma reasoned as leaned over her daughter and covered her resting form with the white, plush comforter crumpled at the foot of the bed.

"He is not good for her."

"What do you mean? He's got a good heart and he's strong. He's part Saiyan, what more do you want? Would you rather her be with a human boy when she could be with Goten?", Bulma continued. She always knew the day would come when Bulla would fall for a boy. Dating was only something Bulma would bring up jokingly, but never had the actual situation ever arisen. Not once could she even remember her daughter even talking romantically about any boy other than Goten.

"He will cause her nothing but pain." He said as he crossed his arms across his chest and turned to his wife, "That boy constantly reeks of different women. I do not want him perusing her. I would rather our daughter remain unattached for the rest of her life, but unfortunately that will never be. And if she had to pick a mate, I'd rather it be anyone instead of that idiot."

"Oh, Vegeta! It's called being a single young man. Can you honestly tell me that before we ended up together you weren't up in space sleeping with every single gorgeous alien girl you laid your beady little eyes on? I'd be willing to bet on my life that you've got quite the track record, mister." Bulma huffed, glaring up accusingly at her husband.

"We are not talking ab-", Vegeta began defensively before being cut off by Bulma.

She brought up her hand in a 'stop' motion and continued, "Maybe, Goten just needs to find that one girl that will help him settle down. Kami, knows we need to find that girl for Trunks."

"He is far too old for her." Vegeta stated, hoping that declaring the obvious would cause the conversation to cease.

"I thought you found our human customs silly? I bet on Planet Vegeta pretty young girls were paired off to geezers just as old as you. Now, you're just trying to find any excuse to keep them apart. She's probably always had her heart set on Goten, don't you think, Vegeta?" Bulma continued as she continued to comb her fingers through her daughters long azure hair, "Think about it, not even when she was a teenager did she try bringing a boy home. We all know she's always had a little crush on little Goten. Now, she's 23, and she'll be leaving soon. Let them have their summer fun. What's the worst that could happen?"

He chose to not answer the question and instead shot his wife a look that would have caused anyone else to cower in fear.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Bulma said as she took a seat on the bed. She grabbed the picture frame standing on the bedside table and gave a small chuckle at she looked at the group of teenagers in the photo. Bulla must have been 15 when the picture had been taken. She and Pan had their arms wrapped around each other while Goten and Trunks stood behind them with big goofy grins. Time went by so fast.

Vegeta looked down at his wife and daughter and let out a defeated sigh as he ran his gloved hand across his face in frustration. Moments like these made him glad he was one of the few remaining of his race, because that meant no one was left to see how ridiculous his life had turned out.

He could only imagine what his father would think if he knew a teenage girl could best him into letting her leave the house in clothing fit for a harlot, let alone having the thought of her winding up broken hearted leave him a complete mess. Yet, as much as he complained, he felt contentment with where he was. He hadn't found complete acceptance with his life till after Bulla was born.

He looked down at the sleeping girl and groaned again. Out of all the men on this forsaken dirtball- why that little urchin? Having to see his face around the compound when he was horsing around with Trunks was bad enough. Now he'd have to accept the runt laying his filthy hands on his daughter.

Bulma narrowed her eyes up at her husband, "Oh, will you quit it! She's a grown woman. As much as I'm sure you believe our precious daughter has never so much as held a boy's hand, I'm sure she'll be fine if she wants to give a relationship with Goten a try. I'm sure by now she's a little heart breaker, herself. If anyone's going to leave that relationship heartbroken I'm placing my money on Goten. Just watch, she's going to chew that boy up and spit him out."

He turned his head away from the women, refusing to believe a word she said. He supposed things could be worse. As much as it pained him to think it, if she had been born the princess on Planet Vegeta her life would have turned out completely different, and not for the better.

Even then her lack of strength wouldn't have mattered. All that would have been of importance was the regal blood coursing through her veins. Saiyan princesses were a rare commodity. He had never met any princesses in his youth, but he could remember his mother telling him of how from their wombs would come the most powerful beings the universe would ever see.

He knew his history well enough to know that men had shed blood in order to be worthy enough of mating these women. To be mated to the princess was an honor bestowed upon the strongest of Saiyans. She would have been a mere ' _thing_ '.

His lips curled in displeasure as he mentally imagined some faceless Saiyan warrior giving him a victorious grin while throwing his daughter over his shoulder and slamming a heavy palace door in his face. He was sure as hell in a Saiyan-style fairytale, Goten would have been the last man to end up winning the princess' favor.

As Bulma watched Vegeta she couldn't help but wonder what sorts of craziness he was thinking up. She was surprised this 'talk' had been put off for as long as it had. She couldn't help but feel irritated that it was happening now of all times, when there was a party happening at full swing right under their feet.

"Okay, sweetheart. You've got to let this go." She said assertively, standing up and smoothing any wrinkles on her tight black dress. She walked over to her husband and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading out the door, "Try not to make a big thing out of this. Bulla's only going to be here for four months. She's still got another 4 years of schooling to go. Don't give her a reason to leave here upset."

He felt like grabbing the nearest thing and slamming it against the wall. This was one battle he didn't have the slightest chance of winning. He glared at the photo resting on the night stand and mustered up every ounce of self-control within him to not grab it and hurl it out the open balcony doors. He felt his eye twitch as he scanned the photo; suddenly, Goten's boyish smile felt mocking.

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The night sky was different in the mountains. Here the sky was clear and the stars twinkling overhead were able to lull him into a state of ease. Goku was sitting atop of a large boulder, watching the moon's reflection ripple against the lake's surface. Morning was only a few short hours away.

He let out a small sigh as he lay himself supine on the rock's cool surface. He had been in restless state of unease since his arrival home. As he shut his eyes his mind was flooded with images of blue.

His senses were shocked as sudden prickling sensation tickled at the tips of his fingers, followed by a comforting warmth that blanketed him as he allowed his mind to wander. The energy he was feeling was not completely foreign; he had felt it twice before. While his greatest quality may not have been his intelligence, he had been able to make the connection to the little blue haired girl.

He could still remember the first time he had felt it. It had been years ago, and he had put it at the back of his mind, unsure of what to make of it in the first place. He remembered that day he had been sparring lightly with Vegeta while the girl lay lounging in the pool as she sipped on some chilled beverage, watching them with a bored expression on her face.

The events of that afternoon were a blur. The only thing that he could remember vividly was the way he was momentarily rendered frozen by the eerie feeling that something was not right. It felt like something was tugging at the borders of his consciousness, trying to make its presence known. Suddenly, that tugging became furious. When he turned to the girl in the water, her expression twisted in confusion, he knew it had been her.

He hadn't seen much of her in the years to pass after that incident, so he pushed the memory aside, deeming it unimportant.

But tonight had been different. It made him realize that something was going on with Bulla. And he wondered if he was the only one that could feel it. Her ki no longer shimmered a warm pink hue.

Tonight, when she was staring at him with a look of complete hopelessness on her face, it awoke some part of him that took pleasure in the scent of her fear. And that feeling from years ago returned, but he had been much too busy trying to make sense of the scene around him to even notice it.

Underneath his shut eyes he was drowned in images of long blue hair and creamy skin. At first he didn't know what woman his mind had conjured up; and to be honest he didn't care. She was stunning.

Was this the woman who had haunted his dreams since his adolescence, or was this the fresher version tearing at his sanity? She was looking at him with eyes so cold and blue, with a look of indifference, and then she was pursing those thick crimson stained lips at him.

Lips so red he thought of apples and blood.

She brought her hand up to her neck, cerise lacquered nails sensually trailing across her milky white skin and down the neckline of her dress. Her finger hooked on the front of her dress so that she could pull it down just enough for him to realize that this was the younger more dangerous version. She snapped her finger out of her dress, her large breasts bouncing, and her lips pouting up at him.

He exhaled deeply and when he took a deep breath he was suddenly flooded with her scent; a delicate mixture of honeysuckle and fear.

A scent so sweet and disturbing that he hadn't realized that he had his fist wrapped around his cock until he was close to completion. In surprise, his eyes shot open, but before he could rid himself of her haunting image, he caught those lips giving him a smile so malicious he felt his stomach churn.

He stuffed himself back in his gi, and quickly got on his knees so that he could crawl to the edge of the rock. Goku felt sick. He couldn't believe that his mind had wandered so far. Seductive thoughts of his childhood friend were less common than they used to be when he was a teenager, but this was the first time Bulla had even crossed his mind.

And it made him sick when he realized that he found Bulla even more appealing than her mother. There was something about the thought of her that made his mouth go dry and caused his nerves tingle in anticipation. The scent of her fear was intoxicating.

He hung his head over the side of the bolder as his stomach churned in repulsion. Sounds of him retching that night's feast filled the quiet forest.

Something was wrong with him. He didn't feel right.

He walked back into his home, rinsing his mouth out in the kitchen sink before returning to bed. He buried himself under the white covers and pulled his sleeping wife's warm body against his. He pressed his nose into her hair, her familiar scent bringing him comfort.

"Chi-" he said softly, his lips brushing against her dark hair, "-I'm so sorry."

He shut his eyes and willed himself to think of his family, his friends and all those he had fought so selflessly to protect. His thoughts grew hazy as he fell into a restless sleep and was once again drowned in images of pouty red lips and long blue hair.

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Dehydration, food deprivation, and alcohol did not mix. Bulla had woken up the next afternoon with a killer headache, but was grateful that at least she didn't have the urge to spend her day with her head hovering over a toilet.

She was too tired to dwell on what had happened only a few hours ago. She didn't want to think about it now- she'd think about it later, when she was clear headed and with a full stomach.

After washing off the nights make-up, throwing off her dress, and slipping into some loungewear she followed the smell of food into the kitchen. She could hear her mother's voice before she even passed the living area.

She was going off about some CEO who was trying to file a lawsuit against Capsule Corporation, claiming copyright infringement.

"All of his patents are utter crap. Anyone who's anyone in the engineering community will vouch for me when I say he's a class-A fraud." Bulma continued as she waved her chopsticks around for emphasis. Her father was simply ignoring Bulma, instead choosing to grab another slab of ribs from the center of the table, and poor Trunk's looked as though he were at least trying to pay attention as he fought his father for the last bread roll.

She stood dumbly under the doorframe as she watched her family interact. Suddenly it felt like she had never left and time had stopped an ocean away just for her. Suddenly, a heaviness weighed on her heart as her eyes made their way to ' _her_ ' empty seat at the table. To the right side of her father there lay a clean white plate and utensils.

"Good morning!" Bulla greeted as she walked over to the kitchen cabinets, giving her family the biggest smile she could muster without making her temples throb.

"Look who finally managed to drag their drunk ass out of bed." Trunks said as he gave his sister a teasing grin.

Vegeta merely looked up at his daughter and gave a disapproving shake of his head before continuing with his meal.

After pouring herself a cup of coffee she sat down at the table and warily looked at her family. Her mom just smiled back and took a delicate sip of diet soda from the can she was holding. She put the can down, bright eyes never leaving her daughters. "So, do you have plans for today?"

Her father immediately made her nervous by looking up at her and chewing his food at an irritatingly slow pace. Before she could even open her mouth to reply her brother cut her off.

"My answer is no." Trunks said as he leaned back in his chair and rest his hand on his full stomach.

Bulma's face whipped in his direction, anger beginning to boil in her blue eyes, "What do you mean, no?!"

"I know your friend is super hot, Bulla-, but I'm so not going to willingly spend my evening watching you and Goten make googly-eyes and play footsie with each other." He said stated flatly as he made a disgusted face.

Bulla's mouth dropped open and pink tinged her cheeks. "What are you _even_ talking about?"

"I know what you're up to. Marron called the house a million times because your phone was dead. Then she told me that Goten had wanted to go into the city tonight. Something gives me the feeling that it wasn't his idea."

"Okay?" Bulla asked as she gave him an expression that clearly stated she did not know what he getting upset about.

"That sounds like a great idea, Trunks. Your poor sister hasn't been home in such a long time. Don't you want to spend some time with her?" Bulma asked through narrowed eyes as she kicked her son under the table.

Vegeta ripped off a piece of meat with his teeth from the rib he was holding in a rather dramatic manner, all the while keeping his eyes locked on his daughter. She rolled her eyes and poked at the scraps of food left in the center of the table. As she plopped a heap of rice in her bowl she gave her brother a sneer, "Fine, if you don't want to go, whatever."

Her father watched as she pointed angrily at her brother with the chopsticks she held tightly in her lacquered fingers, "And to think all I wanted to do was go to the aquarium. Maybe, get some FROYO. Some brother you are!"

She crossed her arms across her chest as she gave her brother a smug look, "I'm sure Goten wouldn't mind taking me. I'm sure we could find another ' _friend_ ' to bring along. You know who I haven't seen in a while? Uub. Remember him? From what I hear he's turned into a total babe."

Vegeta's dark eyes moved over to his son when he sensed a sharp spike in Trunk's ki. His son was clenching his jaw so tight his mandibular joint seemed to be pulsing under the pressure. Never had Trunk's imagined that his best friend would actually pursue his bratty little sister.

Goten was a great friend, but he'd seen his friend drink shooters nestled between a large rack, and they'd even gone so far as switching girls when they were through with them. When it came to women, he was just as guilty as Goten. They were brothers in sin.

He knew he couldn't place all of the blame on his best friend- after all, the princess always got what she wanted. He had imagined that her infatuation on Goten was just a teenage phase that would have just withered away with the passing years. It had been a means of constant entertainment watching her face burn crimson whenever she was around Goten.

Bulla looked away from her brother, trying her hardest to keep the guilt at bay. She hated it when he was mad at her. It made her feel like an unwanted five year old all over again.

As Trunk's studied his sister, he realized his poor friend didn't even stand a chance. He had been watching them as they talked at the bar. Goten had become ensnared in her trap the instant she decided that she wanted him. He hoped for their family's sake that they knew what they were doing.

Trunks pushed himself away from the table and frowned at his sister, "We're just going to see the fish and to get ice cream. And then you're coming straight home."

"Yogurt." She corrected as she raised her eyebrows and gave him a triumphant little smile.

He would have given anything to wipe the smile off her pretty little face. He felt the urge to use his inhuman speed to his advantage and dump her bowl of rice over her head, the way he used to when they were children. Disgust and anger was seething within his chest.

This new polished Bulla was just as obnoxious as the old one, but he could tell from the way her eyes no longer held that childlike wonder that this Bulla was a bit more dangerous. As much as she tried to play the good daughter and keep a smile on her face, he knew that there was something different about her. Something deceitful.

It caused him pain to think of what could have caused her to lose that innocent sparkle in her eyes. To him, her smile looked a bit more crooked, her features more dark. He wondered if his parents could see that this was not the same Bulla. Maybe, her schooling had jaded her some; opened her eyes to the hurt of others.

As much as she angered him and irritated him like no other, he loved her; she was his baby sister. He didn't want to see her get hurt.

He pointed a warning finger at her as he stepped away from the table, "Just wait till you end up going back to school. You're fucking stupid if you think Goten's going to be here waiting for you. I can promise you that he'll be warming some tramps bed the minute he starts feeling a little lonely. And when that happens don't come crying to me."

Both children's attention turned to their father when they heard him slam his hand down on the table, just enough for the dishware to rattle and get their attention, "I've had enough of this! Boy, you watch that disrespectful mouth of yours. You would dare speak to your own flesh and blood with such impudence?"

Trunks' eyes widened at his father's outburst. His attention turned back to his sister who was just looking at with amusement dancing in her cold eyes.

"Uh…." He began as his eyes moved down to take a final look at the blue haired girl, "Forget what I said. It's your life to screw up anyways."

Bulla simply rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, leaving a hot cup of coffee and full plate of food behind, "If you're coming, pick me up at six. You know I hate to be kept waiting."

Bulma was resting her chin on her palm as she watched her children bicker with a bemused little smile on her lips. She could still remember the days when their childhood fights revolved around petty things like toys or whose turn it was to do what chores. Now they were fighting about things like sex and broken hearts.

As soon as her children exited the kitchen her attention turned to Vegeta. He was no longer eating. Instead, he rest his elbows on the table, his lips a thin, tight line on his face. He was lost in thought as he stared at the empty seat Bulla had occupied only seconds ago.

When his dark eyes finally met hers, she couldn't help but shrug and laugh, "At least this summer won't be boring."

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	3. Bad Spirits

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Just a Ride

Chapter 3: Bad Spirits

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The summer afternoon had begun just as any other in the small home on Mt. Paozu. The sun was high overhead in the clear sky as the birds merrily chirped in the forest, and as always, Son Goku was nowhere to be found. Chi-Chi had been looking out her kitchen window as she washed up the last of the pots and pans used to cook her families' meal.

She smiled when she saw a young dark haired girl zoom past, followed by the opening of the kitchen door and a shout of, "Grandma, I'm here!"

Saturday afternoons had always been her favorite. It had become an understood custom of sorts, that on that afternoon her son's and their families would gather to eat the lunch she would prepare. Sitting at the table surrounded by her husband, sons, and granddaughter brought her such happiness. That void that her husband's absence had left her years ago was filled with so much love it was overflowing.

For once, everything was just as it should be.

Chi-Chi wiped her hands on her pink apron and opened her arms to Pan's embrace, "My, Pan it's so good to see you. I hope you came with your appetite."

Pan laughed as she turned to look at the heaps of food served on the table, "You already know I got my appetite from grandpa. Kami, it smells delicious."

The door opened again as a neatly dressed Gohan and Videl made their way into the kitchen to greet the smiling woman. Gohan brought his mother into a warm hug, "Gee, mom- you really out did yourself this time. The food looks great."

Videl grabbed some plates from the cabinet and began setting the table and shook her head, teasing smile playing at her lips, "And just like always, Goku and Goten are the last ones here."

"How is that surprising?" Chi-Chi laughed as she removed her apron and folded it, "He really is his father's son. Never on time for anything. That young man is probably barely rolling out of bed."

"What did I tell you", Chi-Chi said in a sing-song voice as a disheveled looking Goten staggered into the kitchen. Goten made his way to the refrigerator with zombie-like grace , grabbing a carton of orange juice and drinking its contents in one quick chug. Empty carton in hand, he shut the fridge door and blinked dumbly at the group of people staring at him.

"I slept in till noon again, didn't I?" Goten said sheepishly as he dunked the carton into the trashcan. He looked down at the plaid pajama bottoms and wrinkled band shirt he was wearing, then proceeded to spin around and walk out the kitchen door, "Guess, I should probably go brush my teeth and change, or something."

"Yeah…. or something." Pan giggled as she took a seat at the table and took a whiff of the piles of steaming hot food piled in front of her.

The kitchen door swung open for a third time, allowing for a very hungry Goku to poke his head in. He flashed everyone his trademark smile as he walked in the room, quickly giving his wife a peck on the cheek and ruffling Pan's hair before pulling up his wooden chair.

"Chi, this sure smells good. I'm starving!" Goku said as he equipped his hand with a set of chopsticks, wrist ready to dive into attack on the meal before him.

Chi-Chi slapped his hand, earning a surprised "Eek!" from the planet's strongest warrior, "You put those chopsticks down, mister. Wait till everyone's seated!"

Goku sighed and slumped into the chair, eyeing the food longingly and groaning as the steam from the soup wafted in his direction, earning a loud grumble from his stomach. Pan quirked an eyebrow at her grandpa and shook her head, "Grandpa, seriously, 5 minutes isn't going to kill you."

"It just might, Pan." Goku said dramatically as he lay his chopsticks down on the table in surrender.

It was then that Videl noticed a pair of shimmering golden stilettos carelessly thrown near the bottom of the coat rack hanging by the kitchen door. She lifted them up and let out a low whistle, "These are some nice pumps, Chi-Chi. A woman can do some serious damage with these babies."

"At my age, I've learned my lesson. I'd rather keep my feet from twisting in on themselves. Those shoes actually belong to Bulla." Chi-Chi laughed as she took a seat near her impatient husband.

At the mention of her name, Goku felt his insides churn, remembering the way his mind had concocted images of the sapphire princess giggling and pouting her painted lips at him. He kept his eyes fixed on the food before him, refusing to look at his wife or family in shame, fearing that they would read the guilt on his face like an open book.

"Why would you have that girl's shoes here?" Gohan asked curiously, taking a seat next to his daughter and carefully pouring freshly brewed green tea into a white tea cup.

"Don't you know Goten's going to marry that nice, young girl?" Chi-Chi beamed as she carried over a plate of pillowy, soft bread.

Gohan couldn't help but choke down his tea in surprise, earning looks from everyone at the table. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, giving his mother a troubled look, "You mean to tell me that the mighty Saiyan Prince is okay with Goten marrying his only daughter? That Trunk's, his best friend finds this acceptable? That no one cares that he's only about a decade older than her?"

It was then that Goten stepped back into the kitchen, hair still a bristly dark mess, wearing a Taitans tee that Yamcha had given him a while back and some loose fitting dark jeans. He took a seat at the table, suddenly aware that once again everyone had their attention on him, curiosity clearly evident on most of their faces; minus his father who kept his eyes on the food and his mother who giving him a hopeful smile.

"Uh….What's going on?" Goten asked slowly, eyes moving nervously from one end of the table to the other.

"I can't believe you're marrying Bulla Briefs!" Pan exclaimed, bringing her hands up to her cheeks with her mouth agape in disbelief, "She's the most selfish, vindictive, spoiled girl on the whole planet- no wait, probably the whole universe! And you're marrying her? Are you insane?!"

"She's even younger than Pan! Goten- what were you thinking? She's barely a grown woman." Videl scolded, crossing her arms against her chest, blue eyes swimming in disappointment.

Goten's face turned redder with every word directed at him. He brought his hands up in defense and sputtered, "W-what in the world are you talking about? I'm not marrying Bulla. I'm not even dating anyone!"

Gohan let his shoulders slump in relief as he let out a deep breath, "What a relief. For a moment I had thought you might have lost all common sense and were in search of a death wish. I'm sure Vegeta would have sent you to the otherworld before you even had a chance to hold her hand."

"I mean seriously, Bulla Briefs? I couldn't even imagine what you both have in common. You work in a dojo and she's going to be a surgeon." Gohan continued jestingly, shaking his head as he refilled his teacup, failing to notice the way his brother's eyes narrowed at him in irritation "She doesn't even train. What would you two have to talk about?"

Goten couldn't help the irritation he felt at his brother's words. From his perspective it seemed as though his brother found him beneath the Capsule Corps. heiress. Just because he wasn't the CEO of some monopolizing corporation or some scholar like he was, didn't mean he had any less of a chance of earning Bulla's attention.

He couldn't help but grin as the realization struck him that when it came to capturing the heart of the youngest Brief's, he already had the upper hand.

Goten had never been oblivious to the beautiful demi-Saiyan's affections towards him; he saw the way she blushed when he was around, or how him dropping the smallest complement left her a sputtering mess. Yet, he never encouraged her feelings, since at the time she was nothing more than his best friend's cute, very spoiled little sister.

Growing up, Bulla had never gone through that awkward metamorphosis of adolescence to young adulthood. It had been instantiations. From one summer to the next, she had gone from a loud, obnoxious fifteen year old girl, wearing clothes that made her look like a child playing a dangerous game of Lolita inspired dress up, to the kind of young lady who would make a man question his morals. It was apparent that she had inherited the sinful body that made Bunny Briefs one of the most coveted centerfolds of her time, and the added compliment of her mother's flawless features left her the epitome of feminine perfection.

Her temper had always been a force to be reckoned with, but he had noticed that over the years she became less quick to anger, and something else enigmatic had changed as well. Of course, at the time he had been too busy enjoying his youth; drinking and smoking things that left him a giddy mess, and having fun with the kinds of girls his mother warned him about.

Then without warning she disappeared from Capsule Corp. and flew off across the ocean with Marron to some university by the beach.

At the party he had been taken aback by how confident and alluring she had become. He couldn't help but wonder if she still liked him in the way she did before leaving to college. He hadn't been serious with any girl since his relationship with Valese ended bitterly almost 2 years ago, but the thought of making Bulla's his made his heart beat a little faster.

"As a matter of fact I'm meeting up with her tonight." Goten said coolly as he rested his arms behind his head and leaned back in his seat, feeling victorious when his brother gave him another disapproving look.

"Oh, no. We ARE going to end with her in the family. Won't that make her my aunt?!" Pan said woefully as she buried her face in her hands in dramatic anguish, "Aunt Bulla. How disgusting. She's been waiting to trap you since she was like 12 years old, Goten! And you're just going to let her?"

"Everyone, let's just leave the two young lovebirds alone and see where life takes them." Chi-Chi snapped, waving around her serving spoon at the people seated at the table in warning. Finally, she pulled up a seat beside her wonderful husband, took a deep calming breath and placed her hands together, slightly bowing her head forward, "Thank you, Kami for blessing our family with this delicious meal, and for finally finding a good girl for my poor son Goten."

With Chi-Chi having the final word regarding the possible relationship between the two demi-Saiyans, everyone ceased arguing and the race had begun to pile as much food onto their plates before nothing but crumbs remained.

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Nearly an hour had passed since Gohan had loaded the Son women into his safe, dependable air car and taken off into the city for an afternoon of frivolous shopping. After a few minutes spent flipping channels on the TV, Goten grabbed the large black trash bag his mother had left sitting by the kitchen door and walked out of the cozy capsule house to start his day.

Goten whistled as he made his way towards the back of the shed, to the small ditch used for the disposal of garbage. He tossed the black bag into the hole and with a quick beam of ki left nothing but burnt dirt and ashes at the bottom.

He walked back towards the house, with more bounce in his step than usual and a silly smile on his face. The thought of seeing Bulla in a few hours left him feeling like a young, love-struck teenage boy.

"Hey, Goten!" a cheerful voice called out from behind him.

Goten turned around to see his father walking through the clearing towards him, cradling a stack of firewood in his massive arms. He was surprised to see his father again so soon. It wasn't uncommon for the older Saiyan to only come home when the sky turned dark, or go missing for a few days without warning. It used to drive everyone insane, but instead of arguing it was just accepted as one of the many excusable flaws of the incredible Son Goku.

"Are you already leaving?" Goku asked as he neatly lay the logs against the shed, "I was actually going to ask if maybe you wanted to spar, or go fishing, or really just anything? We really haven't spent time together in a while."

Goten gave his father a shrug, not feeling the least bit guilty as he said, "Sorry, dad. I've got plans. How about tomorrow?"

"Alright. I'll hold you to it." Goku said with a smile, rising to his feet and popping his vertebrae as he twisted his torso side to side.

For just a fraction of a second, Goku's eyes narrowed when his son walked past him without further acknowledgment, or even a quick, polite farewell. He watched his son walk away from him, momentarily stunned by the irritation he felt by his son's dismissal.

When it came to his family, irritation and anger were emotions that never surfaced.

Goku shook his head in confusion, wiling the irritation away. He replaced the stern expression on his face with a smile as he caught up with his son, "So….. Goten. Where are you going?"

Goten stopped walking, and turned to look at his father. He raised a dark eyebrow at the older Saiyan; not once had his father ever inquired where he was going. When he would walk out the door, the only question he could ever recall being asked was whether he would be home in time for dinner.

"I'm going to go meet up with some friends."

"Some friends? Do you mean Vegeta's little girl?" Goku said casually, as he rest his hands on his hips and looked down at his youngest son.

"Uh….yeah. She wanted to hang out today." Goten said, trying get in a few more steps towards his car.

He was cut off by his father again, who was walking right beside him, "I was thinking about what Vegeta said last night. He sure didn't seem too happy about you being around Bulla."

This caused Goten to freeze mid-step and look up at his father in confusion, "What do you mean?"

When it came to conversations about family and relationship dynamics, Goku was the one person no one would expect to have any form of input. This was the reason Goten couldn't help but stare at his father as though he had grown a third eye in the center of his forehead. He couldn't help but wonder if the next words out of Goku's mouth would be regarding how his belt didn't exactly match his shoes.

"Well, I mean I don't want to have to go around keeping Vegeta from hurting you too bad. And when it comes to girls, I know you like them just as much as Yamcha does. It just wouldn't be nice to play with Bulla like that." Goku said with a shrug.

Goten spent the next few seconds trying to process the words his father had spoken. His eyes were wide in disbelief and he could feel his cheeks burning in embarassment as he stared up at Goku, "Dad, I'm not playing with anybody. Especially, Bulla- I think I really like her."

Just the thought of his youngest son being around the heiress made him feel emotions usually reserved for those whose deeds left a negative impact.

It scared him.

He didn't want Goten touching her.

He couldn't figure out why, but just knowing that soon his son would be returning home with her scent lingering on his clothing made him nervous. It just wasn't right.

It wasn't right that within a few weeks he would probably end up in bed with her, and it wasn't right that he would have to endure the stench of it with a smile on his face. It wasn't right that he cared this much.

As Goku watched his son, he attempted to keep his expression neutral; trying his best to push the bubbling red emotion in the pit of his stomach at bay. He kept his fists clenched by his sides, that cheerful smile never leaving his face.

"Okay son, just be careful. Don't say I didn't warn you." Goku said, giving his son a pat on the back as he turned towards the sporty hover car parked in front of the cabin. As Goten reversed out of the gravel driveway he gave his father a final look, somewhat dazed by the odd comments that his father had made, and brought his hand up in that famous Son-salute.

Goku nodded his head in acknowledgment and watched as the blue air car drove out of sight towards the bright horizon. He looked up into the clear sky at a flock of birds moving northward, and let out a sigh, willing all the tense energy out of his body.

Sitting around at home was making his mind dwell on atrocious things- leaving him feeling edgy. He couldn't help but feel that his traitorous thoughts would be on display if one only knew where to look. He wondered if Bulla's laughing image was reflecting off his dark eyes.

He needed to keep his body moving. He couldn't stay at home anymore with only his unnerving thoughts for company. He isolated Piccolo's energy and shot off into the sky, determined that a few hours of physical exertion was all he needed to stifle his bad spirits.

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Bulla stood beside him, blue eyes glowing peculiarly in the dim room, reflecting the crystal water behind the thick glass surrounding them. A large, spotted, plankton-eating fish lazily drifted by them, eliciting a surprised squeal from the girl as she innocently hooked her arm around his and pulled him closer towards the aquarium glass.

"Look at that one, Goten," she said excitedly, pointing her finger at the colossal fish that soon nearly covered the expanse of their view, "He's so big! I've always loved watching him swim around. We're nearly the same age you know, that fish and me."

He quirked an eyebrow and gave her a playful smile, "Well I must say, over the years the fish sure seems to have outdone you in the growth department."

She tilted her head to the side to face him, giving him a smile so stunning he suddenly felt uncomfortable and aware of his surroundings. He could feel his friend's ki rising a bit in agitation behind him.

"Daddy would bring me here all the time when I was small," the cerulean haired princess said as her smile became more wistful, resting her head against his solid arm, "Trunks and you were to cool for me back then- too busy chasing girls and drinking cheap beer. Mom's always been the same; obsessed with work. But after daddy would train all morning sometimes he would bring me here, especially in the summers. And then we'd go to the little café down the street where he'd let me eat religieuse until my teeth hurt."

Goten couldn't help but cringe at the mental image she was creating. It was hard picturing the same Saiyan that would beat Trunk's and him black and blue for so much as a sideways glance, wasting his precious time taking a little girl to an aquarium and sitting at a French café eating chocolate éclairs. Just knowing that this girl, with nearly negligible ki, had enough power in her to get the Prince of all Saiyans to do her bidding made his stomach twist in a very unpleasant way.

As Bulla's mind wandered through her childhood, she couldn't help the little happy smile that tugged at her lacquered lips when she looked over Goten. The guilt that she felt the night before was gone and replaced with a giddy determination that, for a moment made her think everything was just as it should be. As her mind was replaying afternoons spent with her father, watching the very fish before her swimming though the aquarium, it dawned on her that this choice was the best one for all of them.

While her father may not have approved of her courting Goten, she imagined that as the time passed Vegeta would eventually become indifferent to the idea. She feared that if she didn't act quick enough, eventually Trunks, or worse, her father would be able to somehow sense the pull Son Goku had on her. Her father always had a peculiar knack for sensing things that others were oblivious to. Bulla couldn't even speculate what the outcome would be if her father ever learned how badly her body yearned for Goku's touch, or of how for the past 7 years he fueled every single one of her private fantasies.

And she would make sure no one ever knew.

She pulled herself closer towards him, daring to take a quick glance at his boyish face. Even though the features were softer, his skin a bit lighter; those dark, playful eyes were nearly identical, and it killed her. She knew it was wrong to use him in such a way. In repentance she would make it so good for him, so that when he was finally between her legs, she could feel less guilty about staring into Goku's eyes when she climaxed.

The thought of having Goku, even though his son, made her heart start beating a little faster, and fueled a shameful pulse from between her legs. In mortification, Bulla took a sharp breath and quickly turned her face towards the aquatic life on display, hoping that the room was dim enough to hide the blush on her cheeks.

Mentally, Goten was light years away, wondering if by perusing Bulla Vegeta Briefs he was abandoning any hope of living long enough to see the next season of his favorite television show. His mind was a flurry of doubt and self-preservation: Was he good enough for her? What did they even have in common? What did she even see in him?

He was brought out of his thoughts when a particular scent sent a sucker punch straight to his olfactory nerve. The smell of a beautiful, aroused female usually resulted in him panting like Master Roshi at a bikini contest, but the sweetness cut a chill through his spine.

Biologically, the Saiyan genes in him were dominant, leaving him to wonder if she was aware that he could smell the dangerously enticing aroma wafting off her skin. The poor lighting did nothing to conceal the pink tinge burning her cheeks, and as he looked down at the doll-like girl wrapped around his arm he realized something that made him break into that famous Son-smile.

She wanted him.

Her desirable scent gave him the courage he needed to uncurl the small hand from around his arm, so that he could instead swing it around her small shoulder. All doubts were momentarily subdued, including the strange conversation he had with his father a few hours ago, as he brought his mouth close to the blue haired heiress and asked in a hushed voice, "I have to know Bulla, do you still like me the way you did before you left to school?"

Those intense, sapphire eyes scanned up and down his face until she held his gaze. The smell of her arousal was faint, but still strong enough to cause an irritated twitch in his jeans when those thick, painted lips parted in reply, "I guess it was no secret that I used to have this big time crush on you when I was a kid."

She kept her eyes locked on his, but as hard as he tried, his gaze continually shifted back to that wicked mouth he hoped to one day have the privilege of kissing. If he hadn't been so shocked by how strange their evening was going, he would probably have been concerned by how forward she was being. Bulla couldn't stand looking at him anymore, it made her feel dirty. Instead she thought back to her carefree teenage years when she would write 'Son Bulla' on the borders of her notebooks in lovesick, curly lettering.

"Back then, I think you had barely discovered your effect on women. I have to admit, watching as Trunk's and you turned into the biggest pair of lady-killer's in all of West City made me so jealous. It made me wonder, what was it about those girls that made you want them so much. What did they have that I didn't? When it came to me, all you saw was some unbearable teenage girl wearing too much make-up, and it hurt seeing how blind you were when it came to me." She said, laughing when she saw his hopeful expression falter.

"Even though I refused to believe it, I was still a kid, and you were just a young man doing what young men do; and I'm sure you had a fun time." She continued, giving him a cheeky wink that made him feel uncomfortable and guilty, "We both took the time we needed to grow up. When I saw you last night I realized something."

He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat before asking, "And what was that?"

She looked up him and smiled before she leaned back into him, allowing one arm to snake against his broad back as the other hand curled around his fingers. The contact caused his skin to itch when her small fingers wrapped around his, "That just, maybe now you see me."

He gave her a lopsided grin and squeezed her hand in reassurance, "Bulla, I've always seen you. It's hard not to notice a girl as smart and pretty as you. Please don't find me creepy for admitting it, but even as a crazy 15 year old, you were something. I was a different guy back then, please don't hold it against me."

In response she stood up on her tip-toes and planted a chaste kiss on Goten's smooth cheek and said, "You're the exact same guy I've adored, Goten. Only this time around, I hope you'll be my guy."

He looked down at her, mouth slightly agape in shock, but before his mind could process a response he sensed a very irritated ki coming closer. Before a very angry Trunk's ruined their moment, with stupid bravery he craned his neck down to land a light kiss on her lips, "How could I say no?"

Bulla turned her face, not being able to hide the smile his reply elicited. She had him right where she wanted him.

Immediately, he let her go so that there was at least half a foot of space between them. He casually turned his head back to greet his friend, not the least bit surprised to see Trunk's sending him a scowl that one could only inherit from Vegeta.

"Are we done here?" Trunk's asked impatiently, eyes darting from his best friend to his sister.

Instead of replying, Bulla let out a peeved "hmf" as she stuck her nose up in the air, tossing back her blue locks as she made her way to the exit. Goten tried his hardest to not look as though he were caught doing something we wasn't supposed to, and shrugged indifferently, hoping that the smile on his face didn't look too forced, " Yeah. Is it weird that being surrounded by all these fish has made me really want some sushi?"

Trunks' let out an exasperated sigh, the frown on his face slacking as the air left his lips. He jabbed his thumb in the direction of his retreating sister and muttered, "Seriously, bro- are you sure that's what you want? There's no returning that one. I mean, I've been living with that horror show my whole life and am still trying to figure out how I managed to survive."

Goten's eyes followed the blue haired demi-Saiyan, fixed on the way her hips sashayed ever so slightly, and how nice her ass looked in those tight jeans. She took a quick glance back at him, playful grin on those juicy lips he had boldly stolen a kiss from, and knew that there was no way he'd ever find himself able to willingly let that one go.

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"Do you think you could love him?" she asked quietly without turning to meet the other girl's attention. The blonde haired girl rummaged through a giant cardboard box sitting on the basement floor, tossing out random items until she would come across something she deemed interesting.

Their evening with the boys had ended rather quickly. Trunk's had stayed true to his words and after a quick tour of the aquarium and a bowl of frozen yogurt, the girls had been dropped off at Capsule Corp. Her brother had forced Goten to sit up front with him, only allowing for the dark haired Saiyan to give her a grimace of a smile in farewell before the car peeled out of the driveway and into city's nightlife.

Bulla picked up an old photograph and held it up to the dimly lit light bulb. It was a picture of her mother giving the camera a cheeky grin while posing on a beach in a bikini top and cut off shorts, with a machine gun perched on her small shoulders. She put the picture in a small pile next to her as she continued to sift through a small box of forgotten treasures.

It had become a strange ritual of theirs, to come to the attic with an expensive bottle of wine and pop open one of Bulma's old storage capsules and rummage through the forgotten memories. Neither girl ever learned much of their families past, only glorified segments of battles fought to protect the Earth, or things that Trunk's or Goten would let slip.

The past had always been glossed over for them. No one had ever told Bulla that her father's prior livelihood had been to commit intergalactic genocide, just like no one told Marron that her mother's sole purpose had been to eradicate human life. The photos and knick-knacks they would find in the boxes sometimes filled in missing pieces, or allowed for peeks into the past that they knew so little about.

"Oh, I don't know, Marron. You know he invited me to dinner tomorrow? Or rather, his mom forced him to invite me to dinner. Apparently Chi-Chi is already planning our wedding " Bulla mumbled as she looked at the next photo. This one featured a shirtless teenage Son Goku attempting to dump her bikini clad mother into the rolling ocean water. She let her finger ghost across his face, a bittersweet smile pulling at her lips.

"I think I could learn to love Goten. I just want to forget about 'him'" she hissed as she tossed the photo back into the box with an irritated flick of her fingers.

The blonde quirked an eyebrow at her friend and laughed, "I'm sure after you slut your way into Goten's pants you'll be forgetting all about his daddy. Word around town is that not only is he a good lay, but he's also packing muscle where it really counts."

Bulla drew her eyebrows together in annoyance as she brought a finger up to her lips, "Shhh! Marron! How many times have I told you to watch what you say when were at my place. The walls have fucking ears here!"

Marron rolled her eyes, her attention once again being drawn to the random items piled inside the cardboard box. Her mouth formed a small 'o' when she felt a soft material under her fingertips. She pulled out a black folded garment and couldn't help the snicker that left her lips when she opened it and a set of bunny-ear headbands rolled onto the wooden floor.

"Your mom is such a freak." Marron laughed as she held open the black one piece for Bulla to see.

Bulla grabbed the bunny-ears at her feet and dusted them off before putting them on her head, "I've got admit, other than the creepy, alien baby in a jar- this has got to be the most random thing we've found."

"That looks super cute on you. I can't believe I forgot about this. In fact-" Marron said excitedly as she grabbed her phone and rapidly scrolled until she found what she was looking for and passed the phone to Bulla,"- I think this super retro, sexy bunny costume can see some action one last time before being put to pasture. I had totally forgotten about the invite!"

Bulla looked at the screen to see an event invite to a costume night party happening at one of the clubs Marron and her used to regularly frequent. She needed a girl's night out to enjoy a few drinks and dance the stress away.

"I will blatantly ignore the fact that this is just an excuse to have women dress up like sluts and agree to go." Bulla laughed as she passed the phone back to Marron. "Tomorrow, it's just gonna be us and I'm down for some actual fun."

"Sounds like a plan." Marron giggled as she flipped through blueprints of rejected inventions, "So what's the deal with the youngest Son boy? Do you like plan on marrying him and having lots of hair-brained, blue haired babies and living in the woods or something? Don't think I missed that lip action at the aquarium today. He's totally digging you."

Bulla scrunched up her nose in revulsion of the mental image that came with Marron's words, "Honest to Kami, I have no idea. But whatever happens there's no way I'm going to end up some washed up housewife. Right now I just want him to notice me as a woman and not as that atrocious snot nosed kid he remembers."

"Don't worry, Bulla. No matter what happens, you'll always be atrocious to me." Marron said, giving Bulla a joking smile.

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	4. Self-Preservation

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Just a Ride

Chapter 4: Self-Preservation

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As the hover car twisted through the mountain roads she kept her eyes shut beneath a dark pair of oversized sunglasses with her hands tightly clenched on her lap. Throughout the drive Goten would take occasional glances at the beautiful girl seated beside him, noticing the further they got from West City, the quieter she would become.

When the nervous prickling of her aura had begun to itch under his skin, he boldly reached across the seat and took one of her hands in his. Her eyes shot open in surprise and she couldn't help the poignant smile that pulled at her lips upon noticing the look of concern on his handsome face.

She could love him.

"What's wrong, Bulla?" he asked, his strong hands giving hers a reassuring squeeze.

She looked down at the large hand entwined in hers and ran her fingers across his rough skin of his palm. These hands looked so similar to the ones that would run across her soft skin whenever she closed her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked, mesmerized by the contrast of his caramel skin against hers, "I'm totally fine."

He quirked an eyebrow, "I can tell somethings bothering you."

"If you must know, I'm actually kind of nervous."

Goten's couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "Nervous? What could possibly make the famous Bulla Briefs nervous?"

"I'm only meeting your parent's for lunch," she began, taking an uneasy breath as the dome shaped capsule homes came into view, "And no offense Goten, but your moms kind of intimidating. And she's going to be watching every move I make. I just don't want to blow it."

"My mom's intimidating?", Goten laughed, giving the girl a disbelieving look, "Every time I look at you, I get this mental image of your father going super and crushing my skull with a stomp of his boot."

From beneath her sunglasses, Bulla rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Oh, please Goten. Don't be so dramatic."

Their three hour drive came to an end as Goten's aircar came to a slow stop in front of the Son residence. With a push of her finger, Bulla slid her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose to take in the home where her soul's captor rest his head.

Her large blue eyes stared out the window, unable to believe that within those walls she would have to smile and politely laugh with the Saiyan that ravaged her sanity. Her body tensed as a cold tremor ran down her spine, ending with a nauseating lurch at the pit of her stomach.

Goten opened her car door and offered his hand to the princess. She blinked up at him, suddenly aware of how uncomfortably electric the mountain air was.

She could feel him.

She could actually feel him.

The instant her strappy sandals met the ground, she regretted her decision to come here. She had blamed her earlier embarrassment around Goku to exhaustion and too much champagne. But now, as she stared at the duo capsule homes, she knew that this twisted infatuation had reached a point where it was physically revealing itself.

At this point there was no reason in justifying her sanity.

When Goten gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, she was pulled out of her jumbled thoughts. His warm eyes continued to look at her with concern. "Hey, really what's going on? I know you, Bulla. You don't feel right?"

She looked at her hand, entwined in his and furrowed her eyebrows, unable to remember which of them had initiated the warm gesture. She softy pulled her hand back and in a tone he hadn't heard her use in years chided, "Don't feel right? Please do tell, exactly what do I feel like to you?"

He was momentarily rendered frozen by the angry way her lips twisted, and her finicky facade was extinguished by one that was much more familiar. There was that spoiled princess he remembered.

"You feel like someone about to face their death. It was making me nervous." he laughed with a shake of his head. He threw his arm around her shoulder and began to guide her to the front door, "Let's go, its only lunch. And I can promise you haven't lived until you've tasted my mom's tonkatsu."

Relief flooded her when she heard the synthetic ring of her phone. She rummaged in her large bag until she found her phone and gave Goten a reassuring smile after looking at the name on the screen, "I have to take this. I'll be in there in a minute."

Without giving him a chance to reply, she answered the phone and turned around to face the large river running at the edge of the house.

"Hello."

"Bulla, sweetie where are you?" her mother replied in a voice that was much too cheerful.

"I'm with Goten. What's up?" Bulla asked as she made her way closer the calm river, sneaking a glance past her shoulder to ensure that Goten had gone inside.

"It's just that you left without saying goodbye. I was just a bit worried. You know how a mother is with her babies." Bulma laughed before adding in a much quieter voice, "And your father got nervous when his internal GPS tracker lost your signal a few hours ago, and demanded I give you a ring."

"I did no such thing!" a loud voice boomed from within the background, causing her to flinch.

Bulla scoffed, "I'm completely fine. Tell daddy to just chill before he gives himself an M.I."

"So I take it, it's just you and Goten, hmm?" her mom crooned, obviously thinking the worst of her and without a drop of subtlety added, "I mean why else would your ki drop off the map like that?"

She looked down at the silver ring around her thumb and smiled, knowing exactly why her ki had disappeared, "Because I'm sure if a certain someone knew where I was going, he would've been here by now."

"I was a girl blind in love once upon a time, and let me tell you nothing else on earth feels as good. Just remember, I'm too young to be a grandma!" Bulma laughed, earning another audible growl from the Saiyan prince who obviously had no shame in eavesdropping.

"Mom, we're only having lunch. And for dad's sanity, I'll let you know there is adult supervision. I'll be home in a few hours anyway; I've got a night planned with Marron." Bulla admitted, hoping it would quell her father's worry, knowing full well he could hear every word of the conversation.

"Well, that doesn't sound like a fun time at all, sweetie."

"Right, for now it's enough fun for me." Bulla sighed running her index finger across the silver ring her brother had given her for her 16th birthday.

"Okay, but for your sake do try to have a little more fun. These are supposed to be the most exciting years of your life. Get in some trouble. Love you. Bye.". Bulma said, ending the call just as Vegeta had begun a verbal tirade in the background.

She walked over to a large nearby stone, and with a loud sigh let herself slump onto it. Fiddling with the ring on her thumb, she stared into the clear blue water and tried to subdue the nagging sensation that would eat at her whenever she knew he was around.

'There's no way I can really sense him.' She mentally reassured herself, trying to ignore the buzzing at the back of her head, "I mean, I'm the most un-Saiyan, Saiyan to ever have a drop of Saiyan DNA. I can't even sense ki. Hell, I can't even channel my own ki enough to dry my hair. The only reasonable explanation is that I'm losing it.'

The nagging sensation suddenly manifested itself as a dreadful chill that left her cold all the way to her red pedicured toes. She let out a dry sob into her hands at the sudden intrusive sensation, losing whatever measly amount of courage she had initially started the afternoon with.

Before she could even indulge herself in another second of self-pity a cheerful voice called out beside her.

"Hey, there Bulla! What are you doing here?"

She snapped her head in his direction, wide blue eyes staring hopelessly at the most powerful being in the entire universe. She knew there was no way she would be walking away from this with her head held high, but at least she would try.

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After breakfast he had taken off to South Island in search of the boy he had taken to training for his past few years spent on Earth. Goku had never been the kind of man to worry too much about ominous feelings or unpleasant emotions, unless they somehow went hand in hand with whatever universal threat he was opposing at that point in time.

After the defeat of Majin Buu, life seemed to slow down. There wasn't some power-hungry villain lurking in the horizon, his children were growing up and having children of their own, and even though he would probably never realize or admit it, he felt useless.

While he spent his days same as he always had; a routine of consuming piles of food, hours of grueling physical exhaustion, and adventures trapesing through the woods; life just no longer had that spark it once had.

Sure, he loved his family more than anything, but he lived to fight.

He wiped the sweat dripping off his forehead with the back of his hand, eyes narrowed in determination as he encouraged his student with a beckoning motion of his hands, "Come on, Uub! All you have to do is channel that energy. I know you can do much better than that!"

The dark skinned boy landed midair a few feet near Goku and looked up into the afternoon sky, pointing his finger at the sun, "Look Goku, it's nearly midday. My mother is expecting us for lunch. Perhaps we should take a break and start again later."

If there was one thing that could drag Goku away from training, it was food. He looked up into the sky, noticing that the sun was at its highest position and tried to remember what Chi-Chi had told him as he was walking out the front door. Something about guests being over for lunch or dinner. Or maybe she needed him to take her somewhere in the afternoon.

Goku rubbed the back of his head and looked up to the clouds in thought, "Hmm…. Chi needed me to go home for something." He gave Uub a lighthearted smile while bringing up two fingers to his forehead, "I'm gonna' head home. Rest up. I'll see you tomorrow, same time."

Before Uub could reply Goku was already a flickering flurry of colors as he transported himself into the woods of Mt. Paozu. The summer wind was much more arid in the mountains than it had been when he was sparring with Uub over the waves of the Southern Sea. As he walked towards his home he removed the top to his sweat soaked gi and slung it across his shoulder.

After lunch with his family the afternoon before, Goku had spent his past waking hours training much harder than he had become accustomed to in these times of peace. The blue haired princess had been the last thing on his mind as he immersed himself in his training, and pushed his body until he couldn't move without having every muscle ache. It wasn't until he exit the forest, a small gust of wind had picked up the lingering scent of fear. It was so strong it overpowered the more familiar scent of breaded pork drifting from his home, and was surprisingly much more tempting.

He raised his nose and took a few more testing sniffs, trying to identify the source of the disturbingly enticing scent. It was peculiar for such an ugly emotion to smell like that, and it confused him even more when he was only able to sense Goten and his wife's ki nearby.

When his eyes moved across his quiet home he noticed her soft voice coming from behind a large rock near the river. He made his way closer to the sound, entranced by the sweet scent of her anxiety becoming sharper as he neared her. Goku approached her soundlessly and stopped when he was only a few feet beside her.

He cocked his head as he studied her, confused by how the girl didn't have the slightest hint of ki; yet he could see her, hear her, and smell her. His dark eyes lazily roamed her body, starting at her bare legs and slowly moving up until they stopped momentarily at the flesh of her large breasts, visibly quivering under the thin fabric of her dress with every sharp breath. Long cerulean hair cascaded down her back, across creamy shoulders, and he could already see emotion shimmering in eyes so blue he was sure he would drown in them.

His eyes wandered down her neck, stopping once again at the front of her dress, mesmerized by how the tops of her breasts would shake ever so slightly. Goku was shocked out of his trace when the girl suddenly brought her hands to her face and sobbed so pitifully it made his mouth go dry.

Before it escaped his throat, he swallowed a strangled groan as he shut his eyes and bit down on the insides of his cheek.

Kami, her fear smelled delicious.

That sudden spike in her emotions shocked him all the way down into some part of him that he didn't even know existed. That he didn't want to believe existed.

He opened his eyes to the blindingly bright sky, and was suddenly aware of what he had been doing. He was looking at Bulla, his best friend's daughter, in a way that a man should only look at the woman who claimed his heart. Shame slid down his throat as he realized there was a warmth bubbling in his lower stomach and his heavy cock was pulsing eagerly between his legs.

The blue haired girl had captured his attention again with her quiet sobs, his mind flooding him with past images of her mother perched suggestively across a hoverbike, hugging him so tight after some battle that his face would end up crushed against her modest chest. Nearly forty years later, he could still remember with pristine clarity the night he had caught Bulma and Yamcha enjoying each other when they thought he had wandered away from camp. The first time he had ever wrapped his fist around himself, he had mentally replayed the sight he had witnessed. How Bulma had taken her ex-boyfriend in her mouth, sucking until white dribbled out the corners of her lips, licking him until he was hard enough to bend her over and make her scream.

He thought he'd never seen a girl as beautiful as Bulma, but this girl was otherworldly. Had she always been this stunning? He watched her bite down on her lower lip to stifle a sob and couldn't help but wonder if she let men bury themselves in her mouth as well.

The thoughts racing through his head were sick.

Kami, what was wrong with him?

This wasn't him.

He had a strong wife who had fathered his children, who he loved more than anything. How could his mind betray her like this?

Was this blue haired girl even real? He couldn't sense any life force coming from her small body. He had to know she wasn't just some trick his mind was playing on him, so he tried to reel himself back in and bring back the side of himself that would never have been lusting over Vegeta's wife and daughter.

Sometimes he scared himself.

"Hey, there Bulla! What are you doing here?" he called out in a cheery voice he hoped only sounded forced to his ears.

Bulla's head snapped in his direction, leaving him momentarily stunned by how breathtaking her eyes looked when they were glossy with unshed tears. Her body gave a little shiver, leaving Goku to wonder if somehow she had been able to sense his revolting, lust filled thoughts.

She pushed herself up from the rock, walking over to Goku with her head held high until she was only a few steps away from him.

"What's up, Uncle Goku." She said crossing her arms across her chest, hoping that this time putting up a brave front would be able to stifle the nervousness eating at her. This time she would be ready. She nudged her thumb in the direction of the capsule home, "I'm here for some of Mrs. Son's world renowned tonkatsu."

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. As mouthwatering as the tonkatsu was, it paled in comparison to the scent of the blue haired princess. His appetite was completely gone at the thought of having to be in the same room with this girl who ignited a sickness in him and his kind, faithful wife

"Smells great. I'm starving." Goku lied with a smile, patting his stomach for emphasis.

He watched as her eyes followed his hand, landing on the sweaty, bronzed skin of the large Saiyan in front of her. He didn't miss the way her eyes lingered over his abdomen and arms, or how her lips slightly parted when she looked at his muscular chest. In the quiet of the mountains he could hear the swift thudding of her heart increase. It almost seemed as though he was the cause of her fear. Was it wrong of him to hope he was?

A soft pink tinged her cheeks by the time she managed to tear her eyes away from him, and even though he couldn't rationalize it, knowing that she appreciated what she saw left him with a strange sort of satisfaction.

"Did your dad teach you how to mask your ki?" Goku asked, finding himself drawn to every move she made, needing to know what it was about this girl that had him battling with the inner-beast he had long subdued.

Bulla chuckled dryly, eyes focused on the river only a few steps away. "My father couldn't even teach me how to sense my own ki, let alone hide it. I'm certainly no super saiyan like the rest of you." She brought her hand up, wiggling her thumb so that the silver ring around it gleamed against the bright sun. "Trunk's gave it to me when I was a teenager so that I could actually have a little privacy. You know how bad daddy can be. He's such a square."

"A square?"

"Yeah, a total square." Bulla laughed, outstretching her arms and putting her hands together so that her fingers made four sharp angles. She peeked through her self-made frame, looking at the man at the center of it and gave him a playful wink. She furrowed her eyebrows at Goku, crossed her arms, and in a gruff voice snarled, "Girl, you'd best be home at a reasonable hour if you plan on ever seeing the light of day again. Don't think you can sneak around somewhere you shouldn't with your clan of harpies. You seem to forget I can sense every move you make. And if I can so much as smell a trace of some hormonal boy on you, may Kami have mercy on his soul, because I sure as hell won't."

When Goku tossed his head back and laughed, so did she. As long as she focused on her breathing, and attempted to ignore that suffocating tingling she was able to keep a straight head. She could play this game.

"I didn't know Vegeta and Gohan were so much alike. You should hear him when he's upset at Pan. They seem to have a knack for the whole 'dad thing'."

"You mean nagging." Bulla smiled back at him.

"I guess you could call it that. I've never been too good at it." Goku shrugged, looking over his shoulder at the capsule home behind him in what almost looked like regret. He'd always known that when it came to being a father he had done poorly, but to be such a bad husband left his heart heavy.

Bulla bravely took a few steps towards the older Saiyan. That little smirk was already on her lips when she began counting names off her fingers, "Good at being a dad? Seriously? Goten absolutely adores you! And don't even get me started on Pan. From what I hear you're even buddy-buddy with the freaking Kai's! Hell, my dad even opens up the gravity room for you. If that's not love what is? The list goes on and on."

Goku gave her that bright smile that she'd learnt to hate and brought his hand up to scratch nervously at his wild, dark hair. "I guess you're right, Bulla."

Damn his smile. It made her think of poor Goten, probably waiting for her patiently at the kitchen table. Damn him, he made her feel so fucking sick. She was sure if she wasn't clenching her jaw so tightly she would've retched all over his boots.

With a renewed sense of purpose, she took a few more steps toward Goku and looked up at him, trying to match his warm smile with one of her own. "You've only saved the universe a million times. Humanity thanks you for your services and forgives you for being an inadequate nappy changer and enforcer of curfews. You're a good man, Son Goku."

A good man wouldn't want to grab her neck and pin her against the boulder she was standing near just to hear if her screams sounded like her mothers. To feel the fear pulsing in her veins. He had to get out of here. Nervously, he swallowed the tightness in his throat, "Thanks a lot, Bulla."

Emotions made him uncomfortable, she could see that. Saiyan, human; when it came down to it, all men were the same. She watched the muscles in his throat move, and couldn't stop her eyes from trailing down to the thick scars tattooed across his chest.

They looked glorious.

And just like that, everything changed. Those vivid images of his tattered bronze skin on top of her came barreling through her mind. Even in her dreams his scars stayed true, and the ache she felt when she eyed her favorite was absolutely painful. She couldn't even put a number to the times she fantasized about running her tongue against the raised flesh running across his chest.

"You've fought many battles." Her voice was no longer playful, and along with her resolve, that smile she had worn so courageously was gone. The static in her head was so loud, it drowned out everything else but him. "And you've won every one."

Only being a breath away from the battle-worn skin she obsessed over was driving her near the edge of a place she knew she would lose herself in. And with all her might, she hoped that there was a way to knock this good, honest man down so far from grace he would drown alongside with her.

"Almost." He admitted, in a voice so low she nearly missed it. Words of thanks and admiration never left his wife's lips. And to hear them spilling so boldly from these full, blood-red lips made him hate himself more for the needy, longing it invoked.

"Do you remember how you got each of them?" she asked, her attention focused on the creamy, raised flesh marring his skin. The playful nonchalance they had both feigned had been forgotten, only to be replaced with a painful awareness.

That loathsome pull he had always had on her became choking and she was feeling too weak to fight anymore. She had never been a brave or strong girl; in her defense she never had to be. He should have been brave enough for the both of them, but this was his first time stepping into this kind of fight.

And in this universe, and the one before, he had always been destined to lose.

Sweat was beading down her hairline and pooling under the curves of her dress. The thin cotton material seemed to be constricting around her chest; her sharp, labored breathing making the rivulets of sweat slide down past her clavicles, to the part of her he was fighting to keep his eyes from roving. The static in her head synchronized with the hammering of her heart, and it was just too much.

Hyperawareness of everything and self was not something she was familiar with, and now she could feel every blade of grass rustling against her ankles and whatever heat she imagined radiating off Goku had become blistering.

Goku watched her intensely, having lost his mask of obliviousness the moment his princess had called to the Saiyan in him. The thoughts he had been fighting so hard to push down surfaced in a torrent of unrepressed hunger. He wanted to dominate her.

Bulla's hands were clasped together at her chest, fighting the urge to slam her palms against his chest just to see if she would burn.

She just had to know.

Her hand slowly made its way between them, drawn to that jagged tear running vertically across where his costal cartilage lay underneath. The wound that had caused it must have nearly been fatal. Her studies left her privy to the exact locations of the veins and arteries roping around a human's body, enough so that she could imagine how the blood had gushed down his chest and the rage and pain it must have invoked in him.

What beast had nearly managed to tear out her warrior's heart?

The instant the tips of her fingers made contact with his skin, the small hairs on the nape of her neck rose, leaving a trail of gooseflesh down her arms. She hadn't missed the way he jolted at her touch, or the startled hiss that had managed to escape him at the electric sensation. When she looked up at him, she was taken aback by the mix of rage in his dark eyes as they landed on the particular battle scar she had chosen to inquire about.

"That was done by your father."

Before giving her a chance to react, he grabbed her wrist with inhuman speed and tossed it back at her chest, using a bit more strength than intended. Her hand landed against her chest with a dull thud, her breath leaving her in a sick wheeze; either from the intensity of his skin momentarily scalding hers or from his careless handling.

He watched as she crumpled onto the grass with her shapely legs drawn under her, leaving her dress crumpled up high enough for him to make out the puffy outline of her sex against a lacy scrap of fabric. Bulla continued to hungrily gasp for air, her fingers clawing at her chest and the guilt he felt for hurting her had momentarily subdued the darkness that had nearly managed to surface.

The low creak of the doorknob snapped him out of his daze, his attention drawn away from the obscene amount of creamy skin squirming by the shore of the river. He wanted to help her, but for once his need for self-preservation was stronger. There was something so sinister and primal about her; when he had come into contact with her skin he felt a sort of satisfaction that was alien to him.

Those eyes once again looked up at him full of fear and wonder, and he just knew something absolutely terrible was about to happen. With a heavy heart he raised his fingers to his head and muttered a hasty apology before leaving the Saiyan princess lying alone on the ground.

He had to get out of here.

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Goten had found her sitting on the grass, with her pretty white dress stained with the earth. She had been shivering, and tears were dripping down her round cheeks, but what really startled him was the way she was crying.

"No, no, no." she kept repeating between sobs and taking rattling breaths of air. Goten kneeled down beside her and brought his hands to her face so that she was forced to look up at him.

He pushed back the blue hair that had stuck to her damp forehead and studied her face. Bulla Briefs had always been one for theatrics, but this was something else entirely.

"What's wrong, Bulla?" Goten asked, his large hands framing her face so that she had no choice but to look at him.

She took in another shaky breath and gave him a lopsided smile while trying to steady her breathing enough to form a concise sentence "I-I- I'm okay."

Bulla wrapped her fingers around his wrists and tried to forget about the crazy encounter she just had with Goku. She would think about that later, right now she had to push it away like it never happened.

Behind Goten a small bee lazily flew into the forest giving her an idea.

"You're going to find this pathetic, but I'm kind of allergic to bee stings." She said with a shrug, her eyes looking at her wrist were Goku had grabbed her. It was a bright red and she was going to use it to her advantage. Luckily, he didn't question it and only took a glance at her wounded hand before helping her up.

"Do you think you can take me home?" she continued as she took a few swipes at her dirty dress, "I'm feeling alright right now, but my inhaler is at home. I'm just worried I'll start wheezing in a few hours. I was just worried I was going to start having a reaction right after it stung me. Last time was pretty awful. I had to go to the hospital and everything." Bulla couldn't believe how easily the lies flowed from her lips, and with each understanding nod of his head the guilt intensified.

"Sure. Whatever you need. I'm just glad you're okay. Let's just get you cleaned up first."

Bulla had been able to pry herself from Mrs. Son's care before the woman could properly attend to her wrist and identify that the swelling was a sprain instead of the welt of an insect sting. After tidying herself up as much as she could and scolding herself for not bringing capsules with an extra set of clothes, she and Goten were back on their way to Capsule Corp.

The ride back was nearly silent, she kept her eyes shut and pretended to sleep in order to avoid Goten's concern. Behind her shut eyes Goku's fierce image stared back at her. Never had she seen him look so serious and tense; knowing that she brought that out in him confused her. Could he feel it?

And when he grabbed her, she had been absolutely terrified. Terrified that she liked his rough grip on her and instead of scaring her away, all it did was feed her curiosity. She wasn't stupid, something was going on here. Before she was sure it was just a girlhood obsession, but seeing the way he responded to her just made her wonder if there was something else going on. Or maybe she was just thinking too much. Maybe even beneath that carefree smile, the innocent hero was really just a man.

But he must have felt it! She was getting chills just remembering the way she felt so fucking alive when she touched him.

She opened her eyes when she felt the car come to a complete stop and realized that she had spent too much time trying to rationalize her encounter with Goku. The blue haired princess leaned across the seat so that she could wrap her arms around the next best thing.

His body immediately tensed in her embrace and before he allowed himself to return it he quickly made sure her father's ki was busy elsewhere. With her arms tightly around his neck, she buried her face beside his cheek and allowed her lips to lightly brush against his jawline. "Sorry today was such a mess. We'll have fun next time."

His body was warm, and she decided that it felt much better against her than any of the other men she had been with. She caught him by surprise when she pulled back, only to slide her fingers under the front of his shirt and press herself back up against him. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she allowed herself to feel the muscles of his abdomen and hoped that his skin would burn her.

Even without the chaotic surge of energy, it felt nice to have Goten against her. It was comforting, and she knew that he would be good for her. Before she could give him a kiss goodbye, his body became a blur of color and she found herself sitting straight in her own seat with her hands placed neatly beside her.

"Your dad is walking over here." Goten explained with an apologetic smile, both of his hands tightly wrapped around the steering wheel. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. Bulla was sure he would take one look at her and somehow just know she was burning for his rival's touch. Kami, the thought made her sick.

With a roll of her eyes, she threw the car door open and without looking back, walked around the massive dome shaped building towards the back entrance. She was in no mood to face any of her family. All she wanted to wash off the mess of the afternoon and apply some muscle rub to her throbbing wrist.

As soon as she turned the corner of the building, she noticed her father standing on the roof of the gravity chamber. She shielded her eyes against the sun and peered up at the Saiyan who held his impassive stare. She would never allow him to know. She would lie until nothing but an empty shell remained of her heart before ever allowing him to know her greatest sin.

.

.

.

He got as far away as he possibly could. So far that if he tried hard enough, he was able to lock their presence in the back of his mind. He savored the silence and slowly regulated his breathing while watching the golden clouds billow against the lilac heavens.

With a heavy sigh, he threw himself on the soft grass and stared up at the magnificent sky of the otherworld few mortals would ever have the privilege of seeing. The chaos she had stirred in him was still there, but it was subtle enough to ignore. He decided that he would hide here until either he was able to make a bit more sense of whatever it was that was happening with Bulla, or his wife called him from across the galaxy that dinner was served- whichever came first.

Another weighted sigh left him as he thought of the princess. In all honesty, he had never thought about a single female in such a short time span as he was currently doing with Bulla. For the past two days he was plagued with indecent thoughts of her, and physically exhausted himself so the only thing he could focus on was the stinging of his lungs and body. It was horrible to realize that even when he was dead, his thoughts of Chi-Chi had been fleeting because he knew that she was strong enough for both of them when it came to their sons and that she would always be able to survive.

Goku was snapped out of his reverie when the curious face of a familiar chimpanzee stood over him, blocking his view of the clouds of Snake Way. Startled, he sat straight up and came face to face with his familiar training buddy.

"Bubbles!" he laughed, grabbing the now shrieking primate into a tight hug. "Long time no see, buddy!"

Bubbles protested loudly and struggled against Goku's embrace, drawing the attention of the other planet's occupant. The short blue Kai slammed the door open and wobbled out of his house, throwing off a blue apron and threateningly waving a beater dripping with batter at his favorite pupil. "Goku! What do you think you're doing?! Let that monkey go!"

Goku did as he was told and stood up to greet King Kai as Bubbles shot off to the other side of the small planet. King Kai glared up at Goku from behind his round sunglasses and gave him a sharp swat with the dirty kitchen utensil, "How many times do I have to tell you?! You can't just keep popping up like that! Thanks to you my soufflé is de-flay!"

With an apologetic laugh, Goku awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and gave the small Kai a smile, "I'm awfully sorry about that, King Kai. I just haven't seen you in a while, and just wanted to see if maybe you were in the mood to train."

King Kai brought his stubby fingers under his chin, giving Goku a calculating look before shaking his head, "You're a terrible liar, Son Goku."

In reply Goku awkwardly laughed, "What are you taking about?"

"You seem to forget that it is my duty as ruler of the North Galaxy to know what's going on." King Kai said shaking his head at Goku and then surprising him with another sharp smack with the beater, "And I don't like what I see!"

Goku took a sharp breath, his eyes going wide as the weight of the kai's words sank in. He'd never been a bad guy. Never had he stolen, or hurt someone who didn't deserve it, so why did he suddenly feel like he was the worst person alive?

He hadn't done anything wrong.

Yet…

Goku stood still as stone, watching the kai standing below him, hoping with all his might that the deity before him was blind to the actions that took place between Bulla and himself. He really felt horrible about shoving her near the riverbed and really just meant to push her hand away. He wondered if King Kai had noticed the way he stared at the Saiyan princess with that hungry glint in his eyes.

King Kai twitched his antenna a few times before taking a deep breath and reaching up to pat Goku on the shoulder. "While I may not like it, and from what I saw it looks like you're definitely having a rough time not liking it- I can assure you that none of this will be your fault."

"My fau-" Goku began, but was cut off by the Kai raising his pudgy hand. The blue deity moved besides him so that they both faced the beautiful golden clouds. His nasally voice had taken that serious tone which Goku had learned to be wary of, because it only meant bad news.

"You are the strongest warrior in this galaxy, Son Goku. And you have used that magnificent strength to bring peace to the universe. It seems wrong to ask more of you when you have already given so much." King Kai said, resting his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the swirling gilded heavens. "You were destined to die years ago from that nasty heart virus, remember?"

"Yes, but I don't understand what that to do with…her." Goku said, his brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to make sense of where this revelation was going.

"This has everything to do with her." King Kai began, waving his hand in a sweeping motion at the sky above them. "You may not have died in that battle, but you rewrote destiny a million times over. We kais were not the only ones watching what you've been up to. The sentient forces that weave destiny have been watching you as well, and fear that with your permanent demise from the living world, those dark entities currently hiding in the shadows of the universe will reawaken with a vengeance."

"While you may be able to jump to and from the land of the living as you do now, once you are deceased it would tear apart the barrier separating the living from the dead, and of course we wouldn't want that." King Kai laughed at his pitiful attempt at humor then took a quick glance at Goku to see if he was paying attention. It pained the deity to continue, but he knew that no matter which route he took, Goku was destined to suffer. "In this universe, you along with a bunch of people who should be dead aren't. Like your buddy Vegeta for instance."

Goku dropped to the grass, leaning his elbows against his bent knees because he knew for some reason he should be sitting when King Kai explained everything. All this otherworld business went way above him. He didn't mean to go around messing with fate or screwing up timelines; his whole reason for being was to protect those he loved. Things were getting too complicated.

"Vegeta was supposed to have died a long time ago, but because he now lives, the cosmos planned to use him in order to ensure universal peace, for at least the next two centuries. Think of it as universal self-preservation if you will." King Kai explained. Now that Goku was seated, he put one comforting blue hand on Goku's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "The universe recognizes your strength, and has seen how you have stopped the gods of destruction who live to cause nothing but pain and suffering to its children. The very instant Majin Buu was defeated and Vegeta was brought back to life, it was fated that he would have another child."

A sick, heavy feeling was gnawing at the bottom of his stomach when the blue deity gave his shoulder another squeeze to get his attention. Goku looked up at his mentor besides him, staring at his reflection off the Kai's dark lenses.

Kami, he didn't ever think he'd seen himself look so pale.

"You can try to fight this, but when you fail please don't lose hope. After all, it usually is quite useless to fight against your instinct. I apologize, but destiny never really considers anyone's feelings- but you see Goku, the set up for a perfect warrior was all there." Now King Kai had grabbed onto Goku's shoulders, so that he was forced to stare at his cringing reflection. "A Super Saiyan God and the Saiyan Princess with paths that intercede? It was quite literally written in the stars. As you know, I cannot see definite truths, only possibilities. And in each scenario there is always grief for those around you in some way or another, but for trillions of others there is life and hope."

Goku listened but shook his head in denial. The blue deity took Goku's head between his hands so that he was forced focus his attention on him. At King Kai's next words, his heart sunk into the pit of his stomach and for the first time in decades he felt an intense sense of helplessness.

"Don't you see, Goku? She was born for you."

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End file.
